


A Click Away

by talesofsymphoniac



Category: Tales of Series, Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Relationships, Childhood Friends, Complete, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Long-Distance Friendship, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Online Friendship, Online Relationship, Other, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 02:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 32,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8310076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesofsymphoniac/pseuds/talesofsymphoniac
Summary: “Come on, how long have you guys been friends now? Without ever having met the other one in person?”Growing up is hard. Having a best friend that lives thousands of miles away only makes it harder, but Sorey and Mikleo manage.





	1. @luzrovrulay

luzrovrulay:  
Roleplay blog for Luzrov Rulay from the Celestial Record series.  
Co-creator of the Celestial Record Augmented Canon (with @featheryshepherd)  
Current Threads  
FAQ 

Anonymous asked:  
Whats crac? Why do people keep tagging posts with it?? help??????

Luzrovrulay answered:  
crac is the tag I use for the Celestial Record Augmented Canon. Basically it’s something me and @featheryshepherd created over our two years of roleplaying to make sense of some of the things in the series. It covers plot holes, character motivations, the political movements of the princess knight between books two and four, that kind of thing. There’s even a whole section dedicated to figuring out the royal family tree. (Neither of us named it, by the way. Other people started using it for their own stuff and made up a tag for it. It caught on.)  
This is all in the FAQ by the way

Anonymous asked:  
I have to say I’m disappointed. You barely post anymore and when you do its this gay shipping crap? you should give your username to someone whos actually going to use it right. i say this as someone who used to love crac for how well thought out it was. A lot of it could be canon, but now you’re just projecting your personal sexuality on your character. rookie mistake.

Luzrovrulay answered:  
Wow, imagine being this entitled.  
This website is terrible sometimes.

* * *

 

Almost immediately, a notification popped up.

_**featheryshepherd:** sorry about that anon _

Mikleo smiled. Featheryshepherd was his roleplay partner of two years, the Shepherd to his Luzrov Rulay. Unlike a lot of roleplayers, featheryshepherd shared his enthusiasm for dissecting and analyzing the world of the Celestial Record series. Sure, he could be a bit of a goof, something that had given him bad experiences with other roleplayers in the past, but Mikleo could roll with that. It was rare to find a Shepherd that didn’t play the character as a giant stick in the mud, anyway.

Together, they’d combined and altered their ideas until they’d built an entire expansion of the canon that had been sort of adopted by the larger community. Mikleo wondered how many of them were aware that the universe they regarded so highly was designed almost completely by a pair of fourteen-year-olds.

_**luzrovrulay:** It’s okay. It’s true, I haven’t rped in a while. Sorry _

_**featheryshepherd:** they still could have been nicer _

_**featheryshepherd:** and like, not blatantly homophobic _

Ah, yes, that had really rubbed him the wrong way. Shipping was popular in fandom, and the fact that the Shepherd and Luzrov Rulay were heavily implied to have a romantic relationship meant that shipping wars could get ugly fast, but honestly, none of their roleplays were even _based_ on ships. The relationship between their characters was just another fact that the two of them had incorporated into their universe, along with the exact family tree of the royal family and the political dealings of the princess-knight who was almost totally forgotten about for three books.

He really should stop thinking about it; he was just getting angry again.

_**featheryshepherd:** and yeah dont apologize, i havent really either _

_**featheryshepherd:** i mostly just come here to chat with people _

_**luzrovrulay:** Same here. Though you’re really the only one I talk to here._

_**featheryshepherd:** youre saying you only stay on this website to talk to ME?! XD _

_**featheryshepherd:** i am honored that im worth sticking around for even as the developers do everything in their power to alienate all their users, lol _

_**luzrovrulay:**  Thank god someone figured out how to mute those obnoxious audio ads._

_**featheryshepherd:** yea _

_**featheryshepherd:** we could always just text, you know _

_**featheryshepherd:** do you have a phone _

Mikleo wasn’t sure why he hesitated, exactly. Perhaps it was the implicit statement that the two of them were something more than roleplay partners, nowadays. More often than not, their conversations weren’t about the Celestial Record at all. No, they caught up with each other, told stories about their families, comforted each other when they had a bad day.

_**featheryshepherd:** or not, it’s okay if you don’t wanna ^_^ _

With that, Mikleo made up his mind.

_**luzrovrulay:** no, it’s fine _

A few minutes later, they had exchanged numbers and Mikleo was typing out his first text to his online friend.

 _Sent:_  
_I guess if we’re texting now I’m going to have to think of you as Sorey, huh?_  
_10:35 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_I almost put in your name as featheryshepherd, ugh_  
_10:36 pm_

 _Received:_  
_lol_  
_10:36 pm_

 _Received:_  
_ive been thinking of you as Mikleo since you told me your name tbh ^_^_  
_10:37 pm_

Feathery-- no, _Sorey_ \-- texted just the same as he typed, and there was something nice about that that made Mikleo smile.

 _Sent:_  
_If we’re being honest, I only asked your name because my mom kept asking about you._  
_10:38 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_I couldn’t really keep referring to you as ‘my online friend’_  
_10:38 pm_

 _Received:_  
_lol yeah_  
_10:39 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_She was really worried when I started talking about you. She was half-convinced you were some creep pretending to be a boy my age._  
_10:41 pm_

 _Received:_  
_O_o wait really_  
_10:42 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_I told her that would be a lot of work for a creeper to put in. Two years of elaborate worldbuilding RP?_  
_10:42 pm_

 _Received:_  
_haha, true_  
_10:42 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Look, proof!_  
_10:45 pm_

Mikleo was confused until his phone buzzed again, this time with a photo attached. He tapped it quickly, and couldn’t help but smile upon seeing the face of a boy his age who could only have been Sorey, beaming brightly into the camera. Mikleo hadn’t ever thought to picture Sorey-- if he had, he would have only been able to conjure the image of the Shepherd he used for a profile picture-- but somehow the boy on the screen fit him quite well. _Cute,_ was Mikleo’s first thought. _And, unsurprisingly, a total dork,_ his mind supplied as he took in the bright orange feathers sticking out of his head and the way his smile seemed too big for his face. He seemed to burn with energy just the way his online presence did, even just through a photograph. Mikleo scrambled for something to say, aware that his response had been somewhat delayed.

 _Sent:_  
_You weren’t kidding about those earrings!_  
_10:49 pm_

He pursed his lips. It was only fair to send a photo back, now. He ran a hand through his hair to straighten it a little, examining himself in the screen of his phone. He played with a few angles, even left for his living room to see if the lighting was better. Five minutes later, he was armed and ready with his selfie.

 _Received:_  
_yeah! i spent so long trying to make them look exactly like the cover!_  
_10:50 pm_

 _Received:_  
_they’re actually just clips. gramps wouldnt let me get my ears pierced ^^;_  
_10:52 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Here’s me_  
_10:55 pm_

Mikleo sent his picture and waited for the response, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t waiting anxiously to hear Sorey’s reply.

“Mikleo? What are you doing?”

Mikleo jumped at the sound of his mother’s voice. “I was just taking a picture to send my friend,” he said quickly, trying to be casual about it. His mom frowned, and Mikleo could almost hear the brewing lecture about internet safety. “Look, see? He sent me one, too.”

He scrolled back to Sorey’s picture and lifted the phone to where his mom could see it. “You should ask him to send you one with today’s date on it,” she said, but she was smiling now, and Mikleo knew he’d won this battle. His phone buzzed yet again.

 _Received:_  
_whoa （*⌂*）_  
_10:57 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Your eyes are really_  
_10:57 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Is it rude to call them pretty?_  
_10:58 pm_

Mikleo forced his face to maintain a neutral expression, hoping his cheeks weren’t as pink as they felt.

 _Sent:_  
_Haha, it’s okay_  
_10:59 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_My mom says to ask you to send a picture of yourself with today’s date_  
_11:00 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_I think she’s still trying to prove you’re you_  
_11:00 pm_

Not a minute later, Sorey sent another picture of him with a bright smile, next to a calendar, pointing at the day’s date with one hand, the other hand a thumbs up, leaving Mikleo curious who had taken the photo for him. His Gramps, maybe?

His mom laughed when he showed her the picture, and Mikleo felt a burst of pride that his friend seemed to be winning over his mom already.

 _Received:_  
_K, now you send me a pic of u and ur mom_  
_11:02 pm_

 _Received:_  
_To prove ur reeeeeeal ^_^_  
_11:02 pm_

Mikleo had just finished showing his mom Sorey’s request when another photo arrived. His mom leaned over his shoulder, and they both laughed at Sorey’s pleading puppy-dog eyes.

Mikleo tapped out a quick “Oh my gosh” to express his exasperation, and then held out his arm so that he and his mom both fit in the frame, took the picture, and sent that off as well.

 _Sent:_  
_Happy?_  
_11:04 pm_

 _Received:_  
_(☆∀☆）you guys look exactly alike!!!!_  
_11:05 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Now i need a pic of you… hm… making a funny face!_  
_11:06 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Why?_  
_11:06 pm_

 _Received:_  
_To prove youre real? I guess ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯_  
_11:07 pm_

This was followed by a picture of Sorey, cheeks inflated and eyes crossed, like he was holding his breath. Mikleo laughed, heading back to his room and laying back on his bed. He hesitated, and then snapped a quick picture of himself with his tongue sticking out and one eye squeezed closed. He sent it off, along with a caption: “this is dumb”.

 _Received:_  
_!!!!!! u did it!!!!!!_  
_11:10 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Ok, im convinced_  
_11:10 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Are you now_  
_11:11 pm_

 _Received:_  
_you have to admit, Mikleo does NOT sound like a real name_  
_11:12 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_I was named after an uncle Michael. Anyway, this coming from someone named Sorey._  
_11:12 pm_

 _Received:_  
_rude :P_  
_11:13 pm_

 _Received:_  
_I dont even have an uncle to blame it on :P_  
_11:14 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Haha. Well, I have school tomorrow_  
_11:15 pm_

 _Received:_  
_yeah me too. goodnight, Mikleo!_  
_11:16 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Night_  
_11:16 pm_

Mikleo plugged his phone into its charger and got himself ready for bed. As he laid back into his pillow, he found himself wondering if today was just a one-off. Maybe, if he really did decide to quit roleplaying, Sorey would stop messaging him altogether. He didn’t like that idea, not one bit. Whether it was because of his general nerdiness or just his quiet personality, he hadn’t made a lot of friends at school. Sad as it was, Sorey was the closest thing Mikleo had to a friend, and Mikleo wasn’t sure he was ready to lose that just yet.

So when Mikleo checked his phone after class the next day and saw a new message, he was filled with a relief beyond words.

 _Received:_  
_how was school?_  
_3:52 pm_


	2. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"someone as cool as you won't have a problem meeting people! ( ^ ^ )b"_
> 
> Whether faced with the prospect of entering a new school or navigating the next chapter in a relationship, transitions are difficult.

“Very good, Mikleo! I think you can be done for the day!”

Mikleo thanked Lailah, beginning to put away his violin while she listed off the things he needed to practice before their next lesson, just as she did at the end of every one of their classes together.

“Are you excited for summer?” Lailah followed Mikleo to her front door, clasping her hands together and smiling. “Excited to be in high school next year?”

“Yes,” Mikleo said immediately, answering only the first part of her question. While he liked school well enough-- he got good grades and he actually enjoyed learning, which helped-- he was very much looking forward to the summer, and his feelings regarding high school were much more ambivalent.

“Have you thought about being in the orchestra?”

“From what I know, everyone has to take a few fine arts credits, but I probably would, either way.” Mikleo played it cool, but he actually _was_ excited for that part; the music program promised to be more advanced and better-funded than the one at his current middle school. Privately, he’d already begun planning his audition for the advanced chamber orchestra. He might not make it in as a freshman, but he was sure he could by the time he was a senior.

Lailah clapped cheerfully. “Good! I’m sure you’ll be a _natural!_  And it will also help you make some friends from the very beginning!”

Mikleo privately doubted that, but he supposed he could hope.

“Can’t believe our little Mikleo’s almost in high school,” another voice, much deeper and louder, gushed, and Mikleo groaned inwardly. Did they ever go _home_?

“Zaveid, how many times have I told you to keep your shirt on in my house?” Lailah sighed, watching the man in question enter the room, the tattoos across his broad chest on full display. Behind him, another man followed, looking just as exasperated as Lailah.

Unsurprisingly, Zaveid ignored her. He waited until Mikleo turned to meet his gaze, and then spoke very seriously. “Listen up, kid. Everything you hear about high school being the best years of your life? Bullcrap.”

“Zaveid,” the blonde man behind him sighed.

Zaveid held up a silencing hand. “ _But,_ ” he continued, “It’s not all bad either. So if you ever need anything, feel free to hit me up.”

“What could he possibly need you for?”

“A confidante? A tutor? Someone to give him amazing advice when he finally falls for someone? Or provide a getaway car if the situation arises?” He bristled when the other man gave increasingly incredulous snorts at each of his suggestions.

“The _point_ is, Mikleo,” Lailah spoke over their bickering, “We’re all here for you if you need us. We’re neighbors, after all!”  Mikleo felt something in his heart swell at the sincerity in Lailah’s expression.

It would have been moving but for the small girl, only a year Mikleo’s junior, who entered the living room at just that moment, looking deeply unimpressed: “Is Meebo leaving, or is he leaving?”

Once, Mikleo would have objected to Edna's nickname, picking a fight that would almost certainly end in his defeat, no matter how he approached it. Today, he knew that his best strategy was just to get away from his friends-- to use a rather broad definition-- as soon as possible. “Yes, I’m leaving,” he said shortly, speaking over Zaveid’s heated insistences that he would be a _fantastic_ wingman, Eizen, thank you very much. He stood up straight and left before any of them could object. He thought he heard Lailah hum contemplatively as he left, but it was hard to tell over all the other commotion.

* * *

Mikleo’s last month of middle school was only made bearable by Sorey’s continued texting, partially because it gave him someone to talk to between classes and partially because it meant he didn’t have to bother with his luzrovrulay account. He hadn’t so much as touched that website since they’d started texting. And it didn’t stop when school ended. No, Sorey spent nearly his whole vacation to Aroundlight National Park sending him pictures and telling him all the cool facts he’d picked up, at least until his Gramps scolded him for being on his phone so much on a family vacation.

Mikleo didn’t have anything that cool to tell Sorey in return, but Sorey seemed just as interested in Mikleo’s stories about his eccentric violin teacher and her friends who, for whatever reason, never seemed to leave her house. Mikleo told him all about Lailah’s strange sense of humor, Edna’s way of driving him up the wall without breaking a sweat, and the strange relationship between Lailah, Eizen, and Zaveid, which as far as he could tell consisted of Zaveid flirting badly with the both of them and Lailah and Eizen exchanging looks of sympathy.

As August and the looming threat of high school approached, Mikleo grew anxious again. He went school shopping with his mom, and she did her best to reassure him that high school wasn’t that different from middle school, that he would be fine, but even so, the night before the first day of school, Mikleo found himself laying in bed, wide awake, his stomach twisting itself into knots.

* * *

Sorey was doing some reading when he received Mikleo’s text. Ordinarily, he would have been ecstatic to hear from his friend, but tonight, he frowned, glancing at the alarm clock on his nightstand.

 _Recieved:_  
_you still awake?_  
_12:45 am_

 _Sent:_  
_i thought school started tomorrow for you?_  
_12:46 am_

 _Received:_  
_yeah_  
_12:46 am_

Sorey set aside his book. Between the late hour, Mikleo’s lack of capitalization, and the few times he’d mentioned his feelings about school before, Sorey could guess that something was wrong with his friend.

 _Sent:_  
_you nervous?_  
_12:46 am_

 _Received:_  
_yeah. the high schools a lot bigger you know_  
_12:49 am_

 _Sent:_  
_dont you know anyone going there?_  
_12:50 am_

 _Received:_  
_define ‘know’_  
_12:52 am_

 _Received:_  
_i mean yeah ill recognize faces but…_  
_12:52 am_

 _Received:_  
_yeah_  
_12:52 am_

 _Sent:_  
_well, someone as cool as you wont have a problem meeting people! (＾＾)ｂ_  
_12:54 am_

 _Sent:_  
_you’ll be okay_  
_12:55 am_

It sounded shallow, even to Sorey, but there wasn’t a lot he could do from where he was. He could guess what Mikleo was worried about; despite how open Mikleo was with him, he suspected that in real life he was a much quieter, more reserved person. All Sorey could do was offer some optimism. Mikleo didn’t reply for a few minutes, so Sorey quickly tapped out another message.

 _Sent:_  
_and i wont be in school, so you can text me if you need to!! ^_^_  
_12:58 am_

This time, the response came a lot quicker, and Sorey could tell that Mikleo felt a little better, or was at least trying to fake it.

 _Received:_  
_Thanks, Sorey_  
_12:59 am_

 _Received:_  
_I’m going to try to sleep now_  
_12:59 am_

 _Sent:_  
_Goodnight!_  
_1:00 am_

 _Sent:_  
_Good luck tomorrow! :D_  
_1:00 am_

* * *

In the end, despite his tiny panic attack the night before school started, high school turned out to be pretty much what Mikleo had expected. His classes promised to be more challenging, but not unmanageably so, and for the most part he stayed quiet and out of everyone’s way and the day went by without a hitch.

Sorey must have thought he was being subtle about his attempts to check on him the next afternoon, but Mikleo appreciated it nonetheless; he informed him that his first day had gone okay, that he had some classes and teachers he was excited for and that he was sure he could handle things. When Sorey asked if he’d met any potential friends, Mikleo dodged the question entirely.

Sorey was a little nervous for his first day of high school when it came around, too, so Mikleo decided it was his duty to return the favor.

 _Sent:_  
_How was it?_  
_3:32 pm_

 _Received:_  
_great! I was worried but everyones really nice!_  
_5:35 pm_

 _Received:_  
_some people even invited me to play soccer after school :D_  
_5:35 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_That’s nice_  
_5:40 pm_

Sorey told Mikleo all about his history teacher, Mr. Mayvin, and how intimidated Sorey had been because of the stories he’d heard about him, but that he’d turned out to be really nice; now, Sorey was full of enthusiasm for how fun his class promised to be. He told Mikleo about Rose, the girl who’d invited him to hang out after school with her friend. Mikleo didn’t have much time to say anything before it had already gotten late and they had to get to bed.

Mikleo tried not to be jealous of the ease with which Sorey was able to make friends or of the owners of the names that kept cropping up in Sorey’s texts over the next few weeks. That was easier said than done, as Sorey told him all about Rose and her friend from middle school, Dezel, who had befriended both Sorey and a couple others, Alisha and Sergei. Sorey was pleased to note that each of his classes included at least one of them, and that they did homework and hung out after school and on weekends.

Somehow, Mikleo found himself texting Sorey less and less. The feeling of his heart sinking when he checked his phone to find no blinking notification that he’d received a message became familiar, and he learned to hate the swoop of pleasure he felt when Sorey _had_ sent him something.

Sorey made a point of texting him once or twice a week, probably because he was too kind to tell Mikleo that he had other friends now. He was clearly having all sorts of fun without the hassle of a friend who had only ever existed to him through texts and a few pictures. He’d ask how Mikleo was doing, and when Mikleo had nothing new to say, he would be treated to more talk of Sorey’s friends and all the fun they were having, and he’d feel more alone than ever.

* * *

The Posse Group Text:  
  
_Received:_  
_Rose: if you guys come do this math with me i’ll pay you in video games and pizza_  
_3:06 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_count me in!_  
_3:08 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Alisha: I’ll be there, too!_  
_3:09 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Sergei: I’ll come._  
_3:11 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Dezel: I might swing by_  
_3:16 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Rose: (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و_  
_3:17 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Dezel: what the hell_  
_3:17 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Rose: what, never seen an emoticon?_  
_3:18 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Dezel: i’m going to give you five seconds to think that one through_  
_3:19 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Rose: *sweats*_  
_3:24 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Rose: well, still come anyway! I already ordered the pizza so now you all have to show up_  
_3:25 pm_

* * *

Homework, pizza, and video games went on quite a bit later than Sorey had anticipated, and it was late when he got home that Monday night. Late enough that he paused when he grabbed his phone, looking at the time. Mikleo was probably asleep.

Sorey pursed his lips, fighting the temptation to text Mikleo anyway. He could only assume that MIkleo was even busier than he was; he hadn’t texted Sorey in quite a while, even though he would always respond to Sorey’s messages. Still, Sorey didn’t want to become a nuisance by texting too much.

He knew that, but talking to Mikleo always made the day better. And it had been a few days since his last text. Surely that wasn’t being overbearing, right?

 _Sent:_  
_hey, how was your day? mine was good. homework and then rose invited me and alisha and some others to play video games at her house_  
_10:59 pm_

 _Received:_  
_was it fun_  
_11:01 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_yeah! Alisha and sergei weren’t very good but me and rose are so we teamed up and it all balanced out_  
_11:02 pm_

 _Received:_  
_cool_  
_11:02 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_What about u?_  
_11:02 pm_

 _Received:_  
_nothing to report_  
_11:05 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_i guess you’ve been busy, huh?_  
_11:06 pm_

Sorey felt a surge of guilt as he waited for Mikleo’s reply. He seemed off at the moment, and the longer he went without a response, the more convinced he became that he was the cause of it, somehow. Of course, he really had gotten over-eager, huh? Or maybe Mikleo didn’t need him anymore, now that he had been in school for a while. Maybe he’d found real friends and didn’t need a long-distance one anymore, and he was trying to get Sorey to take a hint. Sorey watched the phone, willing it to buzz with all his might.

 _Sent:_  
_u still there?_  
_11:20 pm_

He waited another twenty minutes. Nothing.

Maybe Mikleo was upset for a different reason, Sorey thought, going back through the messages Mikleo had sent him. Maybe he’d just had a hard day and didn’t want to talk right now. Or maybe he really was just overanalyzing. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Through texts, Sorey could tell almost nothing.

 _Sent:_  
_Mikleo?_  
_11:42 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_did u fall asleep?_  
_11:50 pm_

He shouldn’t jump to conclusions, Sorey reasoned against the sinking feeling in his chest. Mikleo probably did just fall asleep, and if he saw Sorey’s increasingly-desperate messages, he would probably tell Sorey to do the same. It was late, after all. Mikleo would probably text him tomorrow.

Probably.

 _Sent:_  
_im going to bed, ill talk to you later, Mikleo._  
_12:01 am_


	3. Call for Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He waited. And just like a few nights ago, Mikleo didn’t reply. Sorey tapped his fingers, ran them through his hair, his nervous habits getting the better of him. This was so frustrating! How could he help Mikleo when all he had were letters on a screen?!"

“Why the long face, Sorey?”

Sorey blinked, realizing he had drifted off partway through Rose’s anecdote about all the times she and Dezel had skipped class together in middle school. “Nothing, sorry.”

Alisha frowned. “You’ve been out of sorts for the past few days.”

“Have I?” Sorey felt himself nervously scratching at his hand. Should he tell them about Mikleo? He had, after all, been telling Mikleo a lot about them. But maybe it was weird, to be so close to someone me had never met, to be so affected by a few short days without communication.

Sorey had sent Mikleo another message the next morning, hoping that it would turn out that Mikleo really had just fallen asleep, to no response. It was hard to resist the urge to pull out his phone during class that day to check it for a reply. He needn’t have bothered, either way. Nothing. Not even an unrelated message, ignoring yesterday entirely and picking up where they’d left off.

It was worse because he didn’t know what he’d done wrong, or if he’d actually done anything wrong at all. He tried to reassure himself; he knew Mikleo wasn’t the kind of person who would throw his phone away in the middle of a conversation and never look back, even if he had gotten sick of Sorey. So he’d concocted other possibilities: maybe his phone had died and he’d lost his charger and therefore had no way of getting a hold of Sorey. Well, no way except online, but maybe he hadn’t wanted to bother with that. It was possible, right?

“You can tell us, Sorey,” Sergei offered in the calm, steady voice so unique to him.

Sorey shrugged, feeling self-conscious. “It’s nothing, really. Just… my friend. I haven’t talked to him in a few days, and he seemed kind of upset the last time I heard from him, so I’m a bit worried, is all.”

Alisha hummed thoughtfully. “When was the last time you heard from him?”

“A couple of days ago,” Sorey said, slightly humiliated. He knew the only way to find out what, if anything, was wrong was to keep trying to contact his friend. And yet Sorey hadn’t tried to text Mikleo again after that morning, too disheartened at the idea of getting nothing back. “I know, that’s not very long, but I used to text him every day, so…”

“Could you visit him? We could go with you, even!” Rose looked enthusiastic at the prospect, and Alisha smiled, too.

“Speak for yourself,” Dezel grumbled, scowling when Rose to nudged him in retaliation.

“I… kind of don’t know where he lives, exactly,” he admitted. Sergei furrowed his eyebrows, Rose and Alisha exchanged glances, and Dezel even managed to look a little intrigued.

One thing led to another, and soon Sorey found himself sheepishly showing them all his blog, largely abandoned for months now, and the few pictures Mikleo had sent him since they’d been texting, an ordeal that ended up being twice as embarrassing because of the way Rose read everything out loud for Dezel, even to the point of describing Mikleo’s appearance in the pictures Sorey had of him.

He explained about their time roleplaying, then texting, but drew the line at showing them the exact contents of his last, unfinished conversation with Mikleo. In the end, their advice wasn’t much different than what he’d already been thinking, though they definitely made him feel more optimistic about it.

“Try texting him again tonight,” Rose advised. “He probably just doesn’t know what to say to start a conversation again.”

Sorey took a deep breath. “Right,” he agreed.

* * *

_Sent:_  
_doing anything this weekend?_  
_9:58 pm_

 _Received:_  
_just homework_  
_10:10 pm_

It was back to those same short messages, but Sorey was relieved that Mikleo had replied at all. _Well, here goes nothing._

 _Sent:_  
_Hey, are you doing okay?_  
_10:12 pm_

 _Received:_  
_yeah_  
_10:13 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_You’ve just been really quiet lately._  
_10:13 pm_

When Mikleo took more than a few minutes to reply, Sorey set his phone on the desk, taking out the book he was supposed to be reading for English and opening it to its bookmarked page. He should have realized that with all his attention on listening for his phone, he wouldn’t be able to retain anything he read.

What seemed like an eternity later, his phone buzzed, and Sorey tossed the book aside and had the message open in a second flat.

 _Received:_  
_i figured you were probably busy with your real friends_  
_10:32 pm_

 _Oh._ Sorey wasn’t sure if Mikleo’s tone was angry, defeated, or just matter-of-fact, but suddenly the misunderstanding was blindingly obvious. The irony of it almost made him want to laugh; he’d been so worried about sending _too many_ messages, but he hadn’t considered that Mikleo might have been just as worried as he was that the other would become too busy for their friendship. Now that he understood, he could make things right. His fingers flew across the screen.

 _Sent:_  
_Not too busy to want to talk to you!_  
_10:34 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_You’re my real friend too, you know._  
_10:34 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_I miss you_  
_10:34 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_I know i’ve been talking about rose and alisha and them a lot_  
_10:34 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Sorry_  
_10:35 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_You still with me?_  
_10:40 pm_

Nothing. Again. His formally-restored confidence began dipping. He needed Mikleo to say something. Anything.

 _Sent:_  
_Are you mad at me?_  
_10:45 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_It's okay if you are. Just please talk to me, Mikleo._  
_10:47 pm_

 _Received:_  
_im not mad. im glad for you_  
_10:48 pm_

 _Received:_  
_nevermind_  
_10:48 pm_

 _Received:_  
_you dont have to worry about me_  
_10:49 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Of course I’m worried. You’ve been so quiet and you’ve been typing like you do when you’re really upset._  
_10:50 pm_

He waited. And just like a few nights ago, Mikleo didn’t reply. Sorey tapped his fingers, ran them through his hair, his nervous habits getting the better of him. This was so frustrating! How could he help Mikleo when all he had were letters on a screen?!

The solution dawned on him. He eyed the green icon next to Mikleo’s name, and hesitated. Mikleo could just ignore him, if he really wanted to. But it was worth a try. Sorey watched his finger hit the “call” button.

A dial tone rang, but Sorey could barely hear it next to the pounding of his own heartbeat.  And then it stopped, and everything was silent.

“Hey,” said a voice at the other end, and Sorey had never heard this voice before, but even so, it sounded raw.

“Hey,” seemed a safe reply.

There was a silence, and then Mikleo sniffed, laughing weakly. “You just had to call me when I was emotional, huh?”

Sorey echoed that same half-hearted chuckle, out of pure relief that Mikleo had picked up at all more than anything. In truth, he was worried, more than anything; he had expected Mikleo to be a little out-of-sorts, but it sounded like Mikleo was seriously upset. Had he been like this that night, when he’d just stopped texting? What about that time he’d messaged Sorey the night before he started school? Sorey suddenly wished he had thought to call Mikleo a long time ago; through text, Mikleo had been hiding.

No longer. “Sorry. Are you okay?”

If he’d had the time to worry about how this encounter would go, he might have expected Mikleo to give short, quiet answers, the way he’d been texting. Instead, Mikleo started babbling, and Sorey pressed the phone closer to his ear as if that would help him hear and understand.

“I’m okay, really. I’m not mad at you or anything. I’m sorry, you were typing like you do when something’s wrong, too, and I didn’t want… You don’t need to worry about that. It’s just hard, you know. It seems like everyone’s found a group already, I guess. Like you. And I would read your messages and it just got harder and harder and I just... I’m sorry. But I’m not mad at you, okay?”

His voice shook as he spoke, and Sorey was now sure that Mikleo had been crying and was trying to hold himself together to explain himself. Even now that he’d stopped talking, his breathing was heavy, like he was on the verge of a breakdown. “I’m sorry,” he said, desperate to make things right, wishing he could comfort Mikleo with a hug and not just his clumsy words. “I just kept talking about myself, and I didn’t even realize. I just…” He paused, but surely there was no point in holding back anymore, and maybe Mikleo needed to hear this after all. “I wanted to share everything with you. You’re my best friend, you know, and I really wish you could be here, too. I wasn’t even thinking about how you might be feeling, or how it might sound.”

Mikleo took a steadying breath. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, his voice still thick. “I’m the one that should apologize, for not saying anything.”

Sorey shook his head, despite knowing logically that Mikleo couldn’t see it. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I’m just glad to hear your voice.”

“My voice sounds terrible right now,” Mikleo protested weakly.

Sorey didn’t think so at all, but he would be glad to hear Mikleo’s voice when he was feeling a bit better, too. “Seriously, I’m just glad you’re okay. I even asked Rose and Alisha and the others for help--” He clamped his mouth shut, suddenly realizing what he was saying and that now might not be a good time to mention the others.

But Mikleo sounded curious, rather than hurt. “You told them about me?”

“Yeah,” Sorey said slowly, still unsure.

Mikleo seemed to catch on to his hesitance. “I don’t really mind hearing about them, you know. They sound like fun people. It’s just… hard, sometimes.”

“If you were here, we’d all be friends,” Sorey said, surprising himself. He meant it, though. “You should meet them, sometime. I’m sure they’d love you!”

“I’m actually not that cool in person, Sorey.” Mikleo’s voice, while still slightly raw with emotion, tried for a playful air, and for the first time Sorey heard the voice of the Mikleo that he knew, the friend that could confidently tease him with such good humor. But something else struck Sorey, hearing Mikleo say his name out loud.

“Sorey?” He repeated, and then he laughed.

“W-what?” Mikleo sounded embarrassed, which only made Sorey grin wider.

“It’s So _rey_ ,” he said, and it took Mikleo a second to realize what he was talking about.

Apparently, Mikleo had been pronouncing Sorey’s name completely the wrong way in his head, stressing the first syllable instead of the second, and now he sounded rather adorably mortified. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry So--” he tripped over the pronunciation again, stumbling for a minute before finally forcing it out, clearly enunciating each word separately. “Sorry. Sorey.”

Sorey just laughed again “Don’t worry about it. Your name is Mikleo, right? Or… _Mik_ leo. Mik _le_ o?” He repeated his name again with slightly different pronunciations, unable help the smile that remained on his face.

“You had it right the first time.”

Sorey could practically hear Mikleo’s smile. “Got it. Mikleo.”

“I... should probably get to bed,” Mikleo said awkwardly, after a moment’s silence.

“You sure? I’m fine staying up a bit longer if you need to talk.” Sorey would be more than fine with that, to be honest. He wanted to help Mikleo feel better, in whatever small way he could. And once he was feeling better, he wanted to hear Mikleo’s voice when he was happy, hear his name in Mikleo’s voice again, and be able to talk about their days instead of typing about them.

“Yeah. But... thanks.”

“Okay, then,” Sorey said, swallowing his disappointment. There was always another day, or so he hoped. It _was_ late, and Sorey had school tomorrow just like Mikleo did, and anyway, it sounded like Mikleo had had a rough day today. He hesitated, then added: “Hang in there.” He grimaced. “Ugh, I wish I could be more helpful than that.”

“You helped plenty,” Mikleo said. “Even though I just stopped sending you messages like that, you still…” He trailed off. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t right of me.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just… I’m always here if you need me, okay?”

Mikleo’s voice was soft when he responded. “Thanks. I’m really lucky to have a friend like you. You’re… you’re my best friend, too, you know.”

 _Best friend._ Mikleo had called him a friend before, but there was something about the addition of the superlative and hearing it out loud that made Sorey burst into a smile that he was glad Mikleo couldn’t see. Mikleo’s sincerity was clear, and Sorey knew his face was heating up. But before he could embarrass himself, he reminded himself to add one more thing. “Hey… can I call you again? I like hearing your voice.”

“Sure, if you want.” Sorey wasn’t sure, but he thought the casual air to Mikleo’s voice might have been masking pleased surprise.

Sorey was ecstatic. “Okay, I will! And you can call me, too, if you need anything... or even if you don’t. Okay?”

“Okay,” Mikleo said slowly. Then, again, with more confidence: “Okay.”

Sorey smiled. “Goodnight, Mikleo!”

“Night. And thanks again,” Mikleo said fondly, and then he hung up. For a moment, Sorey just sat there, wondering if that had really happened. He’d actually spoken to Mikleo. He was still a little dazed from hearing that voice alone, never mind the things it had said to him. He settled in his bed, past worries chased out of his mind entirely.

He couldn’t stop beaming, little knowing that miles away, Mikleo was in much the same situation.

* * *

  _“Mikleo!”_ Sorey whined, and Mikleo actually had to move the phone a few inches from his ear, Sorey was so loud.

“What did Dezel do this time?” He replied knowingly. In the past few months, he’d been kept up to date on what he had taken to calling the Dezel Drama.

It went like this: Dezel had told Sorey about his crush on Rose, or rather, Sorey had found out about it by accident and Dezel made him swear not to tell anyone. Which he didn’t. But according to him, Mikleo didn’t count, since he lived so far away and anyway Dezel and the others knew perfectly well that Sorey told Mikleo everything.

Since then, Dezel had told the others that his family was moving, and he was none too happy about the prospect.

Mikleo felt bad for him, of course; it was hard enough living so far from Sorey. His attacks of loneliness hadn’t gone away entirely after that first phone call, but they were fewer, now. The fact that he didn’t have to hide them from Sorey anymore helped more than he’d ever thought it would, giving him someone to talk to when he was down instead of holding everything back until it all erupted.

So yeah, he understood how Dezel felt, a bit. Having to leave his friend behind after getting to spend so much time together in person would be unbearable.

The problem was the way Dezel was reacting to the news, and to his feelings for Rose. He was quiet, he isolated himself, and he lashed out at the others when they tried to talk to him about it.

And now, apparently, Rose was fed up with it.

“She picked a fight with him and now they’re not talking at all and I’m in the middle of the whole thing!”

Mikleo sighed. “Well, she could probably stand to be more patient about it, but he really needs to tell her what’s going on.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Sorey continued, and Mikleo probably shouldn’t find his exasperation so amusing. “Only it turns out it’s a bit more complicated than that because Rose told me Dezel only started acting weird after she told him about her crush on Alisha--”

“Wait, what? Rose has a crush on Alisha?”

“Yeah! I didn’t know either until she told me today! She said I could tell you, by the way.”

Mikleo whistled. “No wonder she’s upset, and that does explain why Dezel won’t tell her what’s up.” From what Sorey had told him about Dezel, he was definitely not the type to confess his feelings to someone who plainly didn’t reciprocate them. “But, if he wants to fix things before he moves, he’s just going to have to tell her.”

“I know,” Sorey moaned, stretching out the syllable.

Mikleo hummed, suppressing his laughter. “Maybe I’m lucky, having no friends here. I get to avoid this sort of thing.” It wasn’t bitter, anymore; occasional anxiety aside, there was something about the physical act of speaking to Sorey and hearing his voice in return that had made their friendship feel like something solid and real in Mikleo’s mind. Dezel and the others were starting to feel like his friends, too, in a way, and Sorey was planning on having them all call him together soon enough, and then he could meet them for real.

He was honestly looking forward to it.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were enjoying my pain,” Sorey complained, but there was humor in his voice, and Mikleo was glad.


	4. Red String

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Muse was astounded. She'd been vaguely aware of Sorey's presence in her son's life, much less apprehensive about it now that she'd seen pictures of him, heard his voice, and seen for herself the way Mikleo lit up talking about him. But this was different; a group of friends hanging out together, being kids. It was something she'd always wished Mikleo could have, and somehow he'd found it almost without her even noticing."

Sorey hung upside-down on his bed, phone pressed to his ear.  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

He could practically hear Dezel’s glower. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Sorey sighed. “I just really think you should tell her. She doesn’t understand why you’re acting this way.”

“She doesn’t _need_ to understand.”

“She does if you want to be friends with her again.”

Dezel just scoffed, resistant as ever to Sorey’s encouragement. “What does it matter? In a few months, we’ll never see each other again, anyway.”

“That’s just not true! We’ll still be your friends, even if you move, Dezel,” Sorey said gently, and the silence that he was treated to indicated that this worry, more than any fear of Rose’s reaction, was what was making Dezel so moody in recent days.

“You really think so.” It was a statement, not a question. There was a pause, and then Dezel sighed. “Fine, I’ll think about it. But it’s just going to make things worse, you know.”

* * *

“And of course Edna just ‘happens’ to be there every time I’m over for violin, and she’s just-- ugh!”

Muse paused her reading at the sound of Mikleo’s animated voice from down the hall. He must be on the phone with Sorey, then. She was still a little shocked by the influence that boy had on her son’s behavior; he had always been plenty smart, chatting freely about what he’d learned at school with her every day after school, but whenever she asked if he wanted to invite anyone to have a sleepover during the weekend or who they should invite to his birthday, he’d clam up and answer with a noncommittal shrug, the light in his eyes becoming dull.

While she had never said it to Mikleo directly, he hadn’t been the only one worried for him starting high school.

And now, here was Mikleo, coming down the hall, phone shoved to his ear, speaking excitedly about his violin performance next week. Muse sat quietly, appearing focused on her book as Mikleo found his violin, put his phone on the table, and went through the process of setting up to play, speaking as he did so.

“I’m telling you, it’s not gonna sound as good over the phone.”

“Whatever, I’m sure it’ll be great,” through the speaker came the voice of a young man that could only be Sorey.

“Here goes nothing.”

And then Mikleo played, concentrating like it was a performance in front of a full concert hall instead of his mother and a friend on the other end of a phone call, and when he tapered off his final note, Muse was astounded to hear the sound of, not a single set of hands, but what seemed to be a whole group of people applauding through the speaker.

“That was amazing!” It was a feminine voice, light and genuine.

A girl snickered. “You should have seen Alisha’s face, MIkleo. It looks like you’ve got a fan.”

“Rose!”

The girl’s snicker turned into a mischievous laugh, and then a third voice chimed in, much deeper and calmer than the others. “No need to be embarrassed, Alisha. It’s easy to lose yourself in such wonderful music.”

Muse tried not to smile at Alisha’s charmed little laugh. “How do you manage to say things like that with a straight face, Sergei?”

And there was that voice Muse recognized, again: “Wonderful is right! You’re really talented. You know, I bet the only reason they didn’t let you into that advanced group is because you’re a freshman! You’ll make it in next year, no problem.”

Muse saw Mikleo busy himself with replacing his violin, a telltale sign that he was embarrassed by Sorey’s praise. “I hope so, but I’m really not _that_ good, comparatively. You should hear Lailah. She looks so natural when she plays, it’s incredible.”

Sorey hummed at this. “I’d like to see you play, too, then.” Then, his voice rose with eagerness. “Hey, could you Skype?”

"That's a great idea!" The first voice sounded eager, as did the others behind her. Muse was astounded. She'd been vaguely aware of Sorey's presence in her son's life, much less apprehensive about it now that she'd seen pictures of him, heard his voice, and seen for herself the way Mikleo lit up talking about him. But this was different; a group of friends hanging out together, being kids. It was something she'd always wished Mikleo could have, and somehow he'd found it almost without her even noticing.

“Well, my computer doesn't have a camera or anything, so I'd have to get one, I guess,” Mikleo replied quickly,

“Oh, dang. Well, like I said, it sounded incredible!”

"Thanks, Sorey." At that, Mikleo took the phone off speaker and pressed it to his ear again, and Muse could see that his face was still slightly flushed.

* * *

_Received:_  
_Well, that was an experience._  
_7:32 pm_

_Sent:_  
_I’m glad you all got along!_  
_7:32 pm_

_Received:_  
_Yeah. It’s just like you said, they’re all great._  
_7:33 pm_

_Received:_  
_I didn’t know Alisha was so into history. I really liked her._  
_7:33 pm_

_Sent:_  
_yeah! she’s usually kind of quiet, but she seemed to really like talking to you! It made me happy ^_^_  
_7:35 pm_

_Sent:_  
_usually when she and i talk about stuff like that rose and dezel just make fun of us_  
_7:36 pm_

_Received:_  
_Haha, I can see that_  
_7:38 pm_

_Received:_  
_Speaking of Dezel, he really never showed up?_  
_7:38 pm_

_Sent:_  
_yeah… he said he was busy._  
_7:40 pm_

_Sent:_  
_things have been kinda awkward since he told her :(_  
_7:41 pm_

_Received:_  
_They stopped fighting though, right? They’ll work it out. Your advice was good, so don’t feel guilty about it._  
_7:43 pm_

_Sent:_  
_i hope so… thanks, Mikleo :)_  
_7:44 pm_

* * *

“And how is Sorey doing? Did his friends figure things out?”

Muse wasn’t quite sure when Mikleo had taken to talking about Sorey and his friends with her, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. She suspected they were part of the reason he was so much more cheerful recently, and anyway, it made for some very entertaining dinner conversation.

“Dezel finally explained himself to Rose, and I guess they’ve been friendly enough with each other since, even if it’s awkward. He’s moving in a few months, so that doesn’t help things either. Rose feels like she has to get along with him, and in the meantime Dezel’s more moody than ever.”

Muse laughed at Mikleo’s summary of the situation, hastily composing herself when he raised his eyebrows. “Sorry, sorry, it’s not really funny, I know. I was just thinking it’s like you know them all personally. Do you ever talk to any of them, or is this all just what you hear from Sorey?”

Mikleo shrugged, chewing and swallowing his last bite quickly to answer her. “Sometimes he puts his phone on speaker when they’re all hanging out.”

“That’s nice of him,” Muse said, but Mikleo's answer reinforced something she'd been thinking about for a while; no matter how nice Sorey was, the distance must inherently isolate Mikleo, especially as their circle of friends became wider.

Oblivious to her thoughts, Mikleo continued. “Well, that’s Sorey. Always way too nice. He tried to cheer Dezel up by taking him to their prom, can you imagine?”

As it turned out, Muse didn't have to, because Mikleo tapped around on his phone a minute and then turned it toward her so she could see Sorey, a year older than the last picture she'd seen of him, all dressed up in a navy blue dress shirt and black pants, beaming and linking arms with a taller boy who, based on his sour expression, could only be Dezel. "Oh dear," she laughed. They both looked nice in their dress clothes, and Dezel's pulled-back hair was quite handsome, and yet the contrast between Sorey's innocent excitement and Dezel's plain distaste for it all was amusing. She tilted her head innocently, glancing back to her son. “I didn't know Sorey liked boys.”

Mikleo shrugged, and Muse allowed him to seamlessly change the subject. “I don’t know if he does or not, but either way, if he was trying to cheer Dezel up, I have no idea why he’d take him to a school dance.” Muse laughed at this. Mikleo had expressed multiple times how much he hated dances. He’d gone to one or two when he was in middle school before writing them off entirely, and he’d been happily against them ever since.

Muse listened to the rest of Mikleo’s story; apparently, as was not difficult for her to guess, Dezel wasn’t any more of a fan of dances than Mikleo, but they’d gone across the street to the dog park instead and managed to have a good night, in the end. She listened to Mikleo describe Dezel's reluctant enjoyment, the line of boys that followed Alisha around asking for dances all night until Rose and Sergei managed to whisk her away to dance with them instead, she was also hatching an idea of her own.

Mikleo’s birthday was coming up soon.

* * *

“Have you set it up yet?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m working on it!”

One of the things that Sorey and Mikleo had learned about each other fairly early on was that they both shared a birthday. The two of them had initially found it to be another peculiar similarity the two of them shared, along with their love of the Celestial Record series and talent for history. Now, it paid off as Sorey’s birthday party meant that all their friends were gathered together for Mikleo’s birthday as well, in an indirect way.

Rose’s voice was muffled from the distance, but Mikleo was just able to catch her imploring words over the speaker. “Sorey, are you gonna finish your cake or not?”

“Mikleo’s video-calling!”

“Wait, seriously?” Mikleo heard the news spread throughout the party as he placed his first video call, and then there was Sorey’s face, with Rose, Alisha, Dezel, and Sergei clustered around in the background. “Oh my gosh, there he is!”

Mikleo could barely contain his smile as he hung up on Sorey and gave them all a little wave.

“Happy birthday!” Alisha leaned over Sorey, and Mikleo had heard her voice and seen a few pictures of her that Sorey had sent him but suddenly she was really there, tucking her honey-blonde hair behind her ear and giving him a sparkling grin. There was Rose, crossing her arms and looking pleased, and behind them Dezel and Sergei, greeting Mikleo with a scowl and a grin, respectively.

“I don’t know what all the fuss is about,” Dezel grumbled, and Sergei nudged him.

Sorey laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, I guess it really only makes a difference if you can actually _see_ the video feed, huh? But still, it’s good to see you!”

“You too.” Mikleo turned to his mom. “So, this is Rose and Alisha, and that’s Sergei and Dezel, and of course you know this is Sorey,” he said, pointing a finger at each of his friends in turn.

Rose waved madly. “Hi, Mikleo’s mom!”

His mom laughed, waving back. “Hi!”

“Thank you so much!” Sorey gushed, his physicality expressive and animated in a way that in no way surprised Mikleo, and wow, he’d always noticed how deep and green his eyes were, but somehow pictures didn’t do justice to how much they could sparkle when he was excited like this, and Mikleo quietly tucked those thoughts away so he could focus on the current conversation.

His mom gave a tinkling laugh, clearly every bit as charmed by Sorey as Mikleo was. “For what?”

“You know, getting Mikleo a laptop! That’s so great!”

His mom smiled, shaking her head. “Well, he spends all his time on the phone with you nowadays, doesn’t he? I thought this would be better for all of you.”

Mikleo pursed his lips, feeling his face warm. “Mom…”

“Who’s this?”

A new figure entered behind the others, and Mikleo new instantly who it must be.

“Gramps!” Sorey exclaimed. “Mikleo got a laptop so now we can video chat!”

“Mikleo?” Gramps said, and the others stood aside, letting him approach Sorey’s laptop. Standing upright, Gramps was as tall as Sorey was sitting down, and they both fit easily into the frame. “Well. Nice to finally put a face to the name. I’ve heard a lot about you, Mikleo.”

Mikleo pressed a hand to his lips, trying to hide his nervousness. Gramps had the same air as many of Mikleo’s favorite teachers-- strict, but only out of kindness. Though maybe that was partly Sorey’s stories clouding his perception. “I’ve heard a lot about you, too.”

Gramps’ eyes widened, and for a moment Mikleo was filled with an irrational fear that he’d said something wrong. But Gramps wasn’t looking at him at all. “Wait… who is this other person behind you, Mikleo?”

Sorey cocked his head, looking just as confused as Mikleo felt. “That’s Mikleo’s mom.”

Behind him, she gave a quiet gasp. “It can’t be… Zenrus?”

“Wait, what?”

“Muse!” Gramps spoke over Sorey’s exclamations. “It really is a small world.”

Mikleo swore his eyes were bugging out of his head. “You two know each other!?”

“Muse is the sister of an old friend, Sorey,” Gramps explained, holding his hands behind his back in a businesslike manner. “I don’t think you’d remember him. He passed away shortly after you were born.”

“Wait wait wait.” Mikleo shook his head trying to piece it together. “That means-- Uncle Michael?”

Sorey’s eyes widened. “The guy you were named after?”

Mikleo’s mom nodded, her eyes faraway. “That’s right.”

There was a clamor of excited conversation as everyone struggled to make their voices heard. At the end, Mikleo’s shocked voice won out over the rest: “Wait, does that mean you guys live near Camlann?”

Sorey nodded eagerly. “We used to! We moved too, to Ladylake. Wait a minute, that means--”

“You and I must have lived near each other!”

“So Selene’s child was named Sorey.” Mikleo could see his mother had nearly as many questions as the rest of them about this whole thing.

“How have you been, Muse?” Gramps asked warmly, and neither Sorey nor Mikleo were the least bit bothered when the conversation became dominated by Gramps and Muse. They listened with attentiveness, even after Rose and the others eventually got bored and went back to their own devices.

* * *

“I can’t believe they knew each other!”

The party was long over, and Sorey and Mikleo finally had a minute alone to discuss this latest revelation. Mikleo shook his head, still shocked himself. “I sure didn’t see that coming.”

The other put a hand to his chin, looking thoughtful. “Just think, if your mom hadn’t moved away--”

“We might have grown up together,” Mikleo finished, hugging his side. “That’s… hard to believe.” He couldn’t help but feel regret for what might have been. To be able to go to the same school as Sorey and the others… it was like a fantasy.

Sorey didn’t look sad at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. “And somehow, we became friends anyway. It’s fate!”

Mikleo raised his eyebrows skeptically, swallowing a retort about what a romantic Sorey was before he could embarrass himself. “It’s one heck of a coincidence, that’s for sure,” he said instead. “They kind of hijacked the party, though.”

Sorey shrugged. “I still had fun, either way!” Mikleo swore that even his feathered earrings seemed to flutter with Sorey’s excitement. He tried and failed not to find it cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like to see a glimpse of how that school dance went for Rose, there's a ficlet for that! 
> 
> [A Perfect Plan:](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15302760) Rose and her friends attend one of their first high school dances. It goes pretty well, all things considered.


	5. Time Goes By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "With Mikleo’s newfound ability to video chat, it became a lot easier to hang out together."

With Mikleo’s newfound ability to video chat, it became a lot easier to hang out together. The group of them seated at a table with Mikleo’s face on Sorey’s laptop became a common scene in each of their houses. Their study sessions benefitted from Mikleo’s presence, despite the fact that Mikleo was taking different classes from different schools; even over a screen, Mikleo was a surprisingly good tutor. Movie nights and game nights were a bit more difficult to manage, but they figured out how to stream movies so they could all watch at the same time, and Mikleo didn’t seem to terribly mind not being able to compete against the others, enjoying the increasingly loud and competitive gaming tournaments from afar.

At the end of the school year, Dezel moved away. Though he never quite managed to reintegrate himself in the group, the goodbyes were heartfelt, as were the insistences that Dezel keep in touch. Rose even rejected Dezel’s impersonal offer of a handshake in favor of a hug, something that, despite their closeness, Sorey and the others had never seen from either of them.

Still, though, Dezel maintained radio silence on group chats, and seemed to steer clear of social media entirely. Rose took Dezel’s reticence particularly personally; reasonable, considering she’d known Dezel the longest. The one time Sorey had brought up the topic, a few weeks into the summer, Rose didn’t seem keen to mend the gap, either.

“I’ve tried texting him, and he never replies. There’s only so much I can do, Sorey,” she said airily, diverting the subject immediately after. Still, Sorey saw the hurt in her eyes, and mentioned it to Dezel, in the hopes it might convince him.

“What does it matter?” His words were gruff, but Sorey knew Dezel better than that by now, and his next words were much more exposed. “You’ll all get on with your lives, soon enough.”

Pessimistic though they were, the words held some semblance of truth. More accurately, they became a self-fulfilling prophecy. That summer, with her usual partner in crime ignoring any attempt at reconciliation, Rose took to spending more time with Alisha and Sorey, a change that they both took in stride. The three of them and Sergei spent most of the summer together, with Rose and Alisha playfully bickering, Sorey and Sergei catching up on their reading, and all four of them calling Mikleo and chatting or playing games.

Slowly but surely, the Dezel-sized hole in their group scabbed over, even if they felt guilty about it.

* * *

School started again, and this time Mikleo was ready for it. Things were a lot better, after all. He still didn’t have what he’d call a “friend group” at school, but he at least had a few people he could eat lunch with, usually in between trading texts with Sorey and the others in their group text, if he was being honest.

His first day of sophomore year spun that assumption on its head, because he had failed to take into account that that year, Edna entered his high school as a freshman, and she seemed intent on taking every opportunity to find him and torment him. Mikleo had never really just “hung out” with Edna before-- for good reason, he thought, as it seemed to result in him being called a bunch of names and prodded a few times with whatever umbrella, pencil, or elbow she could reach him with.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” He asked her after a full week of being dogged by Edna at every opportunity.

Edna shrugged. “Not really.”

“Why don’t you go find people your own age?”

Edna glared at him, angry blue eyes piercing Mikleo’s. “They’re all just as boring as anyone else here,” she declared, and then she glanced away, adding, “At least Loneleo is fun to tease.”

“Don’t call me that,” Mikleo said on reflex, but he looked at Edna more carefully again and thought of his own first days of high school, wandering the halls alone during lunch, searching for a familiar face so that at least he wouldn’t have to eat alone. “Fine, whatever.”

There was a pause, and for a moment, Mikleo thought Edna might actually smile, or even say thank you. Instead, he was greeted to another glare and a rough punch on the arm. “What the _heck_ was that for?” He returned her glare, rubbing at the red spot that was surely going to bruise.

“Sorry,” Edna replied. “I forgot you have baby skin.”

Mikleo sighed. If this kept up, it was going to be a long three years.

His phone buzzed, and he shook his head, reaching into his pocket and laughing at what he found waiting for him: a picture of Sorey in the driver's seat of a car, holding up what could only be the learner’s permit he’d been so excited about getting this week. In the passenger seat, looking vaguely amused, was Gramps, and behind them in the rear seats, squeezing into the frame, were Alisha, Rose, and Sergei, each making a comically terrified face.

“Who’s that, Meebo? You’re smiling at your phone like a sap.”

Mikleo realized his fatal mistake, eyes widening as Edna leaned over his shoulder, trying to see the picture.

Correction: It was going to be an _unbearable_ three years.

* * *

Lailah clapped her hands together and then hugged him fiercely. “I’m so proud of you, Mikleo!”

Mikleo stepped away, smoothing the fabric of his shirt. “Thanks, Lailah,” he said, but his flushed cheeks betrayed a smile. “I couldn’t have done it without you, you know.” His phone buzzed for what must have been the fifth time in the last half hour.

“What about me?” Edna droned from her place across the room on the couch.

Mikleo narrowed his eyes. “What _about_ you?”

“Don’t I get credit for helping you finally make it into your geeky ensemble thing? I gave you a motivational speech and everything.”

“You told me to suck it up and get it over with so we could go home already.”

Edna shrugged like she didn’t see Mikleo’s point. “It worked, didn’t it?”

Mikleo was about to argue when his phone vibrated once again. He fished it out of his pocket, intending to turn off entirely. “Let’s just start the lesson, please?”

“You’re phone’s ringing off the hook, Mikleo,” Lailah said, eyes shining. “You’re welcome to answer it.”

Mikleo shook his head, turning his attention back to the sheet music in front of him. “It’s not important. Just Sorey. He does this all the time.”

“Well…” Lailah trailed off, looking like she desperately wanted to say more.

“She wants to meet him, dummy,” Edna said from the desk where she was currently struggling through her math homework. “She’s curious about your secret boyfriend.”

“Edna!”

Mikleo groaned. “He’s not-- Look, I’ll just tell him to try again later, okay?”

He should have known it wasn’t going to be that simple, and within ten minutes, he had his laptop set up on top of Lailah’s piano, Sorey’s face beaming on the screen, waving at Lailah and Edna, who stood behind either of Mikleo’s shoulders.

“I’m sure Meebo told you all about me,” Edna said, and Sorey gulped, glancing between her and Mikleo and chuckling awkwardly.

“Um, once or twice,” he said diplomatically. Edna smirked.

“Has he mentioned me?”

Sorey’s smile became a bit more genuine as he cast his eyes on Lailah. “Of course! He’s always talking about what an amazing violinist you are!”

Lailah looked pleased, her hands rising to her face so she looked like an embarrassed schoolgirl despite being an adult herself. “Oh, wow! Well, Mikleo certainly has some _noteworthy_ talent, himself!”

“And really punny, too!” Sorey exclaimed as Mikleo and Edna let out identical groans.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” They all turned and Zaveid entered the room, hands on his hips, leaning down as if to inspect the boy in the screen. “You must be the famous Sorey.”

“That’s me!”

If there was ever any hope of finishing his violin lesson normally, Mikleo decided to let it go then, allowing himself to enjoy this meeting between Sorey and his strange group of neighbors.

* * *

Sophomore year turned out to be much the same as the year before, aside from Dezel’s absence. Their group of friends grew closer. Some, like Sorey and Mikleo, were learning to drive, while Rose, who was a year older than the rest of them, received her license. Alisha, Sergei, and Mikleo took places in their school’s Student Councils, meaning Sorey and Rose spent an hour after school doing homework or playing soccer or cards or whatever else they could find while they waited for their friends to get out of meetings.

In that way, time passed, from Halloween to the holidays to spring semester. Though everyone found their schedule becoming busier towards the end of the year, Sorey made sure to find time to call Dezel at least once every couple weeks. As grumpy as Dezel always seemed to be during these calls, Sorey got the impression that he looked forward to them, so he kept calling. He’d learned from his mistake all those months ago with Mikleo, and kept the conversation largely away from their other friends. That didn’t always leave much to talk about, since Dezel himself was rarely forthcoming, but still, Sorey kept it up.

“I don’t understand why you still bother calling me,” Dezel groused one night, after Sorey had finished explaining the merits of the colleges he was thinking about applying to.

Sorey frowned. “We’re friends, Dezel. I want to make sure you’re doing alright.”

“You know you’re the only one who bothers with that. The others stopped caring a long time ago.”

“Of course they didn’t! They just think _you_ don’t want to talk to _them,_ since you stopped replying. They miss you, too, you know,” Sorey insisted over the top of Dezel’s derisive snort. “It’s been almost exactly a year since you moved, now, don’t you think it’s a perfect time to do something? We do video calls with Mikleo all the time, everyone would really love it if you joined us--”

“I’m not Mikleo, Sorey.”

And that was the end of that. Their sophomore year ended, summer began, and life went on.

* * *

It was in the early weeks of summer that Sorey and Alisha sat at Rose’s counter, Mikleo on the screen before them. The plan was to hang out and make some cupcakes, and Rose and Sergei had gone out to get the ingredients they needed, leaving the three behind to chat.

“I’m not so good with baking,” Mikleo was saying. “But I’m okay at most other stuff. It’s kind of fun, actually.”

“Aw, so no cookies?”

Mikleo snickered at Sorey’s pouting face and shook his head. “Sorry to disappoint. My mom makes really good chocolate chip cookies, but I never seem to get them right.”

“Wait, are those the same cookies you gave me the recipe for the other day?” Sorey blinked, then cocked his head at Alisha, confused. She flushed. “I’ve been trying to get better at cooking lately. Mikleo’s been helping me.”

Sorey nodded, taking this new information into context. While Dezel remained too stubborn, scared, or both to interact with the others, Mikleo was getting along with them better than ever. Sorey was pleased for his friends, though he had to admit, he was a little startled the first time Mikleo and Alisha mentioned having a conversation without him. Mikleo was friendly with Rose and Sergei, too, but he and Alisha were able to not only discuss history and trade book recommendations the way he and Sorey did, but also trade notes about their respective Student Councils and, apparently, swap recipes.

“What do you make, then?” Alisha asked, resting her chin on the hand she’d perched on Rose’s countertop near Sorey’s laptop.

“I make vanilla ice cream from scratch,” Mikleo said, suddenly perked up with much more pride. His smile was fond. “Then we put them together and we have cookie sandwiches. It’s a bit of a tradition.”

“That sounds good!” Sorey’s eyes lit up. “Let’s make that instead.”

“Can I have that recipe, too, Mikleo? If it’s not too much trouble,” Alisha added, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Mikleo smiled. “I’ll do you one better and make it with you right now, if you want.”

Alisha beamed, and Sorey watched in content silence as she and Mikleo went through the ingredients they would need. Alisha called Rose, shyly asking if she and Sergei could buy a few more things. “I’ll pay you back and everything!” Sorey caught Rose’s laugh on the other end, insisting that the ice cream would definitely be its own reward. He caught Alisha’s soft smile as she thanked Rose, too.

In the end, Mikleo’s skillfulness as a long-distance tutor extended to the kitchen, and fun was had by all. Rose teased Alisha, purposefully bumping into her around the kitchen, joking, and making her and Sergei laugh even as they tried to stay serious. Sorey had been relegated to dishwasher right away, which Sorey was only slightly offended by; saying he was untalented in the kitchen was an understatement, and anyway, he was the only one in the group that actually liked doing dishes.

With all of them working together and Mikleo coaching Alisha through the ice cream making process, within a few hours, all but one of them were feasting on cupcakes and vanilla ice cream. Even Mikleo got to partake in the fruit of their labors, as he enjoyed the ice cream he himself had prepared alongside Alisha.

“This is really good!” Sorey dug in for another spoonful of his ice cream. Behind him, Alisha giggled at something Sergei had said as Rose licked frosting from her own fingers.

Alisha, flushed with success, approached the camera. “It really is! Thank you for your help, Mikleo!”

“Of course." Mikleo paused, as if he had just realized something, and then he returned her smile, full of fondness. "What are friends for?”


	6. Transposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The others probably thought he was oblivious, but he knew perfectly well what their questioning had been about. He and Mikleo were close. He was close with all his friends, but there was something special about Mikleo, something that he had been suspicious about for some time now but hadn’t thought about too closely, for fear of what it could mean if he was correct."

Sorey watched Mikleo’s fingers fly across the strings of his violin, a particularly difficult set of measures that he’d been repeating for ten minutes now. Finally, he shook his head and let his instrument fall. “It’s just that one section,” he sighed.

“You said your recital was tomorrow, right? You’ll get it by then.”

Mikleo pursed his lips. “I really just need to play those measures a million times between now and then. It’ll work out. And then it will be Christmas break and I can sleep for once.”

“That’s the spirit!” Sorey was rewarded for his enthusiasm with a smile from Mikleo. “I really liked that one. I like both the ones you said you’re performing tomorrow but this one is definitely my favorite. You can really feel the emotion behind it.”

Mikleo put a thoughtful hand to his lips. “You do seem to prefer romantic music to the classical stuff.”

“I do?” Sorey hadn’t been quite aware of that. Truthfully, he’d never really thought about it, and probably would have said that all old music was classical, if pressed. “What exactly is the difference?” He half-expected Mikleo to take a teasing shot at him for not knowing.

“Romantic music tends to be more emotional and less structured, I guess. You like the music that tells a story and makes you feel things, right?” Sorey nodded. “Classical music is stricter about structure. The beauty lies in the form, rather than a story or an emotion.”

“You prefer classical, then?”

Sorey grinned, watching Mikleo squirm at having been figured out so easily. “I like both styles, but… there’s something fascinating about seeing how all the pieces fit together, I guess.”

“I can totally see that,” Sorey said, and he felt a rush of affection as Mikleo nodded firmly. “So it’s kind of like the difference between romantic and classical architecture, then?”

Naturally, that led to an entirely different conversation about the differences between the romantic and classical periods of architecture, how periods of music and art intersected with those same periods in architecture, and it ended with each of them giving each other a series of book recommendations on the topic, including a promise from Sorey to mail Mikleo a book from his own personal collection.

* * *

Although Sorey and Mikleo still spent a lot of time texting, now that they had the ability to video-chat, they made sure to call often, usually once or twice a week. As they got deeper into junior year, though, things got busier, and it was harder to find time to text and talk all the time. 

Mikleo was getting the worst of the increased demands on their schedule, though. Not only did violin and his position on his school’s Student Council create a lot of extra work for him, he’d also taken on a part-time job at the local museum, and while he obviously enjoyed it, it also gave him much less time for schoolwork and music. He didn’t talk about it, and never complained, but Sorey could see how tired he looked.

“It’s nothing, really,” Mikleo said when Sorey ventured to ask if he was doing alright. “It’s just these next few weeks. I signed up for an ACT prep class thing, so once that’s over, things will go back to normal.”

“Well, that’s good,” Sorey said, though he wasn’t exactly reassured. Mikleo had gotten better about reaching out when he was feeling overwhelmed, but he could still be stubborn about it, not wanting anyone to worry about him. But that reminded him of something he’d been wondering for a while. “Hey, do you know where you’re going for college?”

There was no reason to ask other than curiosity. And the recent influx of friends and family asking Sorey what _he_ was doing after high school. It definitely did _not_ have to do with the advice Gramps had given him about it when he’d felt especially overwhelmed with the pressure to commit to a decision soon (“Imagine a life that you will be excited to live, and make choices to get you there”) or the idea it had planted in Sorey’s head.

“I’m going to apply to Marlind University,” Mikleo replied without hesitation. “It all depends on what scholarships I get, though."

Sorey perked up. “Marlind, huh? They have a great history department, don’t they?”

“Yeah.” Mikleo brushed a stray hair out of his eyes. “There’s also Lastonbell or Pendrago, if it doesn’t work out, though. I guess we’ll have to see. What about you?”

“I, uh, haven’t really given it much thought!” It was a blatant lie, spoken quickly with an easy smile.

“Well, there’s plenty of time to think about it,” Mikleo said, and the conversation moved onto other topics. Sorey chatted with Mikleo as he always did, and Mikleo had no way of knowing that as he spoke, Sorey pulled up and bookmarked the webpage for Marlind University.

* * *

_Sent:_  
_I’m so tired! Rose and Sergei have been a lot of help, but prom is killing me!  
4:01 pm_

_Received:_  
_Alisha. I ask again. Why on earth would you sign up to be part of prom committee when you’re already on stuco?  
4:05 pm_

_Sent:_  
_:( Dances are fun, Mikleo!  
4:08 pm_

_Received:_  
_So you keep insisting.  
4:09 pm_

_Sent:_  
_If you could go to a dance with us, I’m sure you’d agree!  
4:12 pm_

_Received:_  
_Pretty sure I would find anything fun if I could do it with you guys, so I don’t really see your point.  
4:16 pm_

_Sent:_  
_I think you were trying to be sweet, but that kind of just makes me sad. :(  
4:21 pm_

_Received:_  
_Why? It’s not like there’s anything you can do about it. Besides be my friend, but you and the others already do that, so.  
4:22 pm_

_Received:_  
_Thank you for that.  
4:22 pm_

_Sent:_  
_You don’t need to thank me for that! You’re my friend too, after all!  
4:24 pm_

* * *

Sergei and Sorey were primarily bonded through their shared friendship with Alisha. In general, they didn’t hang out much unless Alisha was with them, too, but there was one exception to this rule.

Sergei had aspirations of being a writer someday, and Sorey was his biggest fan. While Rose and Alisha were supportive of his writing, always eager to read and offer compliments and criticism, as Sergei requested, it was Sorey who shared Sergei’s excitement with his stories. Alisha had remarked that the two clearly shared the same taste in literature, while Rose had added, less benevolently, that indeed, they both seemed to have a taste for the most sugary-sweet romances they could get their hands on.

Sergei and Sorey ignored their teasing, for the most part. Sorey was consistently one of the first people Sergei showed his writing to, and in return, Sorey would offer his enthusiastic praise and encouragement, and sometimes even his ideas. It surprised Sergei, who had read Sorey’s attempts at poetry, after all, but Sorey had genuinely _good_ ideas. When he suffered writer's block, Sorey was the first person he’d talk to, and he’d never yet been disappointed by the inspiration Sorey offered so easily.

 “Sorey,” Sergei asked after school one day, the two of them sitting outside the school, waiting for Alisha to arrive. “I think… I’m going to ask Alisha to go to prom with me.”

“Really?” Sorey sat up, noticing how Sergei, usually so calm and composed, appeared flushed, and it occurred to him how much time had passed since they met. Sorey really should have seen something like this coming, with how close Sergei and Alisha had been recently, the looks he was sure he had seen between the two… Somehow, it didn’t seem real, but they were all growing up, weren’t they? “That’s great! I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

“I was thinking I might ask her with a poem,” Sergei continued, biting his lip. “You don’t think that’s too much, do you?”

“I guess it depends on what’s in the poem, but I don’t think so,” Sorey offered. “It’s very you.”

Sergei considered this. “What about you, Sorey?”

Sorey hummed thoughtfully. “If you’re going with Alisha, maybe I should ask Rose if she wants to go.”

Sergei glanced at him. “You and Rose… you like her that way?”

“Not really,” Sorey said, neither flustered nor offended by the idea.

“Then is there any girl that you do like? Or boy,” he added, seeing the way Sorey’s mouth twisted uncomfortably at the question. “I don’t think you’ve ever really said either way.”

“I guess I’ve never thought about it.” He didn’t think he’d ever had a crush on anyone, unless the occasional infatuation with certain characters in his books counted, and Sorey was pretty sure they didn’t.

In the middle of his musings, Alisha arrived at last, and Sorey decided to shelve the question for another day.

* * *

When the three of them had finally finished their math work, Sorey packed up his bags quickly, leading Rose and Alisha to cast him a strange look. “Sorry to duck out like this, guys, but I have to run to the post office before it closes.” When their expressions didn’t change, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Uh, you can come if you want?”

“Why are you going to the post office?” Rose asked, her eyebrows furrowing skeptically.

“I’m sending Mikleo one of my books,” Sorey explained. He dug through his backpack and pulled out a well-worn novel that looked like more like a textbook than anything anyone would read for fun. “His library doesn’t have a copy, and it’s surprisingly hard to find online.”

Alisha smiled sweetly. “That’s so kind of you, Sorey!”

Sorey scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed by the praise. “Not really,” he said, noting the slight glint in Rose’s eyes as she examined him.

“Hey, how long have you guys been friends now? Without ever having met the other one in person?”

Sorey didn’t quite know how to take the insinuation in Rose’s tone. “Since I was… twelve or thirteen?”

Alisha spoke up suddenly, as if she’d only just thought of something. “Has Mikleo ever dated anyone?”

Sorey gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t think so. He would have told me something like that.”

Alisha and Rose exchanged a knowing look. Sorey had the distinct impression they were having some sort of nonverbal conversation without him, and apparently their conclusion was to drop the subject and let him leave. Sorey frowned as he started up his car and made his way to the post office. The others probably thought he was oblivious, but he knew perfectly well what their questioning had been about. He and Mikleo were close. He was close with all his friends, but there was something special about Mikleo, something that he had been suspicious about for some time now but hadn’t thought about too closely, for fear of what it could mean if he was correct.

Well, no, not fear, exactly, Sorey corrected himself as he changed lanes. Nothing about his relationship with Mikleo could make him afraid. He wasn’t afraid, exactly, just… resistant.

But, just like the elephant in the room, as soon as Sorey acknowledged there was something to be ignored, it became nearly impossible to do so.

* * *

 “Sergei and Alisha are going to prom together.”

Mikleo nodded, resting his head on a graceful hand. The ring on his right pointer finger glinted turquoise-- a sixteenth birthday present from his mother, passed down through their family. “Can’t say I’m surprised by that development. I bet Sergei’s over the moon, huh?”

Sorey nodded, smiling as he remembered how Alisha had beamed when she’d happily shared the news, and the way Sergei had quietly turned pink behind her. “Yeah, they both are. It’s pretty cute.”

Mikleo shook his head, smiling. “She’s been texting me a lot. I think someone’s got a crush.”

Sorey paused at that, thinking of Rose standing next to him, every inch the cheerful and supportive friend, teasing the two of them. As fun as it was to watch his friends grow up and bond with each other like this, there was an ever-present worry for how quickly it could all go south. Their group was relatively drama-free, but he saw the way their classmates acted about these things, and he certainly hadn't forgotten Dezel, who was _this close_ to finally letting Sorey add him back to the group chat. “I asked Rose if she wanted to go with me, but it looks like she’s skipping out on this one.”

Mikleo sighed, understanding. “I guess we’ll just have to see how things go.” And then he hesitated, pulling his hands into his lap and suddenly looking extremely uncomfortable. “Well, uh, speaking of prom…”

He trailed off, and Sorey leaned forward, noting the way Mikleo’s cheeks had turned rosy and how he averted his eyes to his hands in his lap, probably fiddling with his ring. “What? Are you going to ask someone?”

Mikleo shook his head, one hand moving to cover his mouth so his voice came out muffled and Sorey had to strain to hear him. “I _got_ asked. By a boy.” His face was completely red now, and Sorey watched as he brought both hands up to his soft, shiny hair, raking through it nervously. “A boy asked me to go to prom with him.”

Sorey ignored the way his heart seemed to tug at Mikleo’s words. “Really? Who asked you? Did you say yes?” At his eagerness, Mikleo hid his face in both hands, groaning. “Wait, no, you’ve gotta tell me all about it!”

Mikleo shook his head, but moved his hands away from his mouth, his eyes tightly shut. “It’s so embarrassing, I barely know him! He's in the orchestra ensemble and he just asked me out of nowhere after a rehearsal and I just… sort of… I didn’t know what to do, okay?”

Sorey could picture it, Mikleo caught off guard, his vibrant eyes wide with surprise, an obvious flush rising in his cheeks, stumbling over his words like he did when he was flustered, and the tugging in his heart grew again.

“I didn’t even know anyone at school knew I was gay!”

Sorey shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t know.”

Mikleo narrowed his eyes, and Sorey had to hold in a laugh at how cute he looked like that, his hair messed up from tearing his hands through it, his cheeks still flushed, and his tone perplexed. “Why would he ask me if he didn’t know?”

Sorey actually did laugh at that. “Seriously? He probably has a crush on you.” Mikleo wrinkled his nose, clearly unconvinced, which only made him laugh harder. “Aw, don’t look so surprised, Mikleo!” _I bet he’s not the only one,_ he nearly added, but something stopped him, a feeling that those words would somehow expose some part of him that he wasn’t ready to share.

Mikleo had returned to hiding his face and groaning, in what Sorey thought was perhaps a more dramatic fashion than the situation dictated. “Oh god. I can’t do this.”

“Do you like him?”

Mikleo shook his head vigorously, hair swishing back and forth, just as dramatic as Mikleo himself. “I told you, I’ve barely spoken to him before today! I mean, he’s nice enough, but… oh my god. If I go with him, is that too… I mean, people will know, right?”

Sorey scolded himself for feeling the tugging in his chest ease. This was _not_ about his jealousy. Because that’s what it was, wasn’t it? _He_ wanted to be the one taking Mikleo to prom, making Mikleo so cute and flustered. But this wasn’t about him, this was about Mikleo, and reassuring him. So he did.

“Not necessarily. I mean, I went with Dezel that one time, remember?”

Mikleo’s lips tugged in a half-smile as he remembered. “I don’t know if that’s the same thing.” He took a deep breath. “Well. It’s not like I’m hiding. I’m just. Nervous.”

Sorey smiled. “I’m sure it’ll be great.”


	7. Getting Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was amazing how something as simple as a school dance could get a group of teenagers all riled up."

It was amazing how something as simple as a school dance could get a group of teenagers all riled up.

“Isn’t it kind of redundant to spend a week dancing around each other before you actually dance around each other?” Rose had teased fairly early on, embarrassing Alisha and Sergei thoroughly but making them all laugh.

After that, the tension between the group dropped significantly, and they could turn to more important matters, like teasing _Mikleo_ mercilessly about _his_ upcoming date. Mikleo, by general consensus, was much more fun to tease about this kind of thing, and unluckily for him, Edna happened to be in the room during that particular chat.

Sorey sheepishly apologized to him after the fact for their friends giving him such a hard time, and Mikleo just shook his head, looking exasperated. “Zaveid wouldn’t shut up about his so-called flirting techniques and Lailah tried to give me the talk, so after that, this was a walk in the park.”

By some coincidence, or simply because it was a convenient Friday before a holiday, Sorey’s prom and Mikleo’s landed on the same day. Rose had never been one for dances, or so she claimed, so she and Sorey had planned to spend the night at her place, just hanging out, watching movies, eating dinner, and chatting.

The most memorable part of the night was about halfway through the action film Rose had put on. Sorey was scrolling Facebook, which was unsurprisingly filled with his classmate’s prom photos. Alisha and Sergei looked lovely, reminding Sorey of a gracious noble and her knight, and what’s more, they looked absolutely giddy.

And then Sorey saw the photos Mikleo’s mom had posted, and maybe he should have been anticipating them, or maybe he had been looking for them all along, but he stopped in his tracks. Because Mikleo was gorgeous. He’d always been nice to look at, even when they were kids, but now Sorey saw how the years had matured Mikleo. The pure white suit he was wearing surprised Sorey, but somehow it seemed to make the bluish shimmer of his hair and the purple jewel tones in his eyes shine all the brighter. It fit him well, too, and Sorey had never noticed just how slim Mikleo’s waist was.

Beside him stood another boy their age, with short, styled black hair and bright eyes to match. The two were smiling for the camera, both a little red, and when Sorey clicked the next picture, he saw them laughing at something one of them had said. It wasn't Mikleo's full laugh; he was just a little bit stiff from nerves, probably. But Sorey smiled, looking at them both, even though his stomach twisted a bit, too. Mikleo had been so anxious, and Sorey was honestly happy that he seemed to be having a good time with his date.

Still, he couldn’t help clicking forward to the next photo, which was Mikleo alone, and that was what Rose caught him staring at when she came back. She gave him a knowing look but said nothing, and for that he was grateful. Instead, she pulled out her video game console and any remarks about the dance or their friends were forgotten for the time being.

* * *

The next day, when Mikleo answered his video-call, Sorey tilted his head, and, with a big smile on his face, sang: “So how’d prom go?”

Mikleo snickered quietly, always more resistant to teasing when it was coming from Sorey. “It was okay, for a dance. Kinda awkward at first. I think it was his first date too, so…”

He shrugged noncommittally, and Sorey allowed himself to feel a selfish moment of relief. He should be happy if Mikleo found someone there that could make him happy; it's not like Mikleo having a boyfriend would make him forget about Sorey and the rest of them, and yet some grossly irrational of him had been worrying about it endlessly.

"How’d yours go?”

“Rose and just I hung out and played video games, this time. I think Alisha and Sergei might go out again, though.”

“I believe it, after seeing all those pictures she posted last night. Were they like that all night?”

“I don’t know, but they sure were sitting close together when I saw them today,” Sorey laughed, flushing a little at the mention of pictures he’d seen on social media last night.

Mikleo smiled back, and then his eyes drifted away from the screen, widening. “Oh, I got that book, by the way!” Mikleo leaned over his computer, pulling a familiar book from what must have been a shelf above it and holding it for Sorey to see. Then he put it down, eyebrows raised in a way Sorey knew meant he was about to get scolded. “You didn’t tell me you’d marked it all up.”

Sorey chuckled, scratching at one ear. “Sorry. I’ve had it since I was a kid, so…”

Mikleo grinned, flicking through a few pages. “I kind of like it, actually. Your notes are interesting-- the ones I can read, anyway,” he added, glancing back at Sorey with a smirk.

Sorey crossed his arms, feeling his face heat. “Hey! I told you I’ve had it since I was a kid! My handwriting is much better now!”

Mikleo just laughed, open and happy, and Sorey felt his heart skip a beat at the sound, and oh yes, if there had ever been any doubt about his feelings, it was erased in that moment, as Mikleo laughed and Sorey loved him. Sorey realized it, understood it, and quietly slipped it away for later consideration while Mikleo made one more snarky comment about his handwriting and then challenged this comment and that conclusion he’d made in his notes, spurring them into an animated debate that lasted hours.

* * *

 _Sent:_  
_Does anyone have any ideas for Sorey and Mikleo’s birthday?  
10:52 am _

Alisha tapped her pencil against her desk, staring at the calendar, but neither Rose nor Sergei were able to offer anything beyond a few half-hearted suggestions. Alisha wasn't too surprised; neither Rose nor Sergei were the type to plan something like this out weeks in advance the way she was. 

Alisha knew Sorey had been surprised by how her friendship with Mikleo had grown; she had been, too. But even though Sorey's feelings were most likely something much more than the friendship Alisha felt for him, Alisha agreed that Sorey admired Mikleo for very good reason; he was nice to talk to, always kind and thoughtful and sharing many of her interests, as well as being level-headed, a trait that was lifesaving during those times their other friends got to be too much.

She was the only person she was aware of, other than Sorey, that Mikleo texted with any frequency. Alisha knew that of all their friends, it was she who Mikleo spoke to when he didn’t want to bother Sorey with something, or on the rare occasion that Mikleo wanted to keep something from Sorey. Those situations didn’t happen often, but when they did, she did her best to be a compassionate ear to hear him out until he worked things out.

It went both ways, she supposed, thinking of the conversation they’d had a little over a month ago now. She still flushed, embarrassed by how awkward she'd been to start off.

 _Sent:_  
_Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you weren’t a boy?  
6:35 am _

_Received:_   
_Is this a gender question or a sexuality question?_   
_6:40 am_

_Sent:_   
_I’m not sure. Maybe a bit of both?_   
_6:42 am_

_Sent:_   
_I was just thinking, I don’t know. A lot of stuff._   
_6:44 am_

_Received:_   
_If you want talk, I’m listening. 100% confidential._   
_6:45 am_

Sergei would have listened, and Rose would have understood, and both would have helped her make sense of her feelings. But somehow, Rose and Sergei felt too close to the situation for Alisha’s comfort, and so it had been Mikleo that she had trusted to tell first. When she’d hesitantly asked him if he knew anything about nonbinary genders, something she'd researched on her own but never spoken about before, he had taken her questions-- and later, her conclusions-- in stride. He asked about pronouns and was completely understanding when she said she liked the ones she currently used. When she worked up the courage to tell her friends and maybe-boyfriend about her findings, Mikleo encouraged her.

In the end, nothing much changed for Alisha; only her closest friends even knew about it, after all. But having the words made Alisha feel happier, and she had Mikleo to thank for that.

Her pencil kept tapping. Surely, there was something she could do for Sorey and Mikleo both, after all they’d done for her.

And then it hit her.

_Sent:_   
_Sorey, what’s Mikleo’s address?_   
_11:29 am_

_Sent:_   
_I want to send him a birthday present._   
_11:29 am_


	8. Express

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Even though his birthday was technically not until Monday, the plan, Rose and Alisha had explained, was to skip school on Thursday, camp out in Aroundlight Forest National Park on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, and then come home Sunday."

Sorey couldn’t help his huge smile when Mikleo’s face popped up on his screen that night. “I sent you a birthday present in the mail!”

Mikleo covered his mouth with one hand, averting his eyes. “Oh,” he stumbled, then quickly recovered, smiling back weakly. “Yeah, I should send you something, too.”

Sorey’s smile faded, immediately catching on to Mikleo’s unexpected reaction and trying to determine what it meant. Perhaps he hadn’t gotten anything for Sorey and felt guilty about it? After all, it wasn’t like they’d ever sent each other physical presents before. “You don’t have to or anything,” he reassured Mikleo quickly. He nodded, and then Sorey remembered something else he’d been meaning to say. “Oh, Rose and Alisha are taking me out camping the weekend before our birthday, so I won’t be able to call you on those days. But I will as soon as we get back, okay?”

“Got it.” Mikleo nodded, and while this time he was smiling, there was something artificial about it, slightly too bright for what the situation warranted.

Mikleo was definitely hiding something. Sorey pursed his lips. “Hey, Mikleo?”

His friend looked alarmed, and again did his best to mask the emotion. “Y-yeah?” Sorey easily caught the forced casualness in his tone. Should he ask about it? But no, Mikleo couldn’t be keeping anything that important from him, and if he was, Sorey knew he would find out in due time. Instead, he shook his head, and, seeing Mikleo’s intent look, picked up a new thread of conversation with ease. “You’ll never believe what Mr. Mayvin told us in history the other day!”

Mikleo looked visibly relieved, and Sorey counted that as a success, anyway.

* * *

The plan, Rose and Alisha had explained, was to skip school on Thursday, camp out in Aroundlight Forest National Park on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, and then come home Sunday. They’d already cleared it with their parents. Alisha’s mom, a quiet woman who Sorey had nonetheless grown fond of over years of being friends with Alisha, was taking them, and Sorey had made sure to get all his work done in advance so he wouldn’t have to worry about it over the weekend. Everything was planned and ready.

Rose and Alisha said they’d come and get him when they needed to leave. He’d been expecting to sleep in a little, but instead, he was greeted far too early in the morning to very excited knocking on his door. Rose and Alisha were adamant that he get up and dressed immediately, and he barely had time to scarf down a bowl of cereal and say goodbye to Gramps before they had whisked him away to Alisha’s car, where Sorey gave her mother a half-awake greeting, and away they went.

Sorey woke up a few hours later, disoriented to find he was not in his bed, but in the backseat of Alisha’s car with all their luggage. Rose seemed to loom over him as she dug out her bags from the seat next to Sorey.

“Wakey-wakey, birthday boy.”

Sorey groaned, but forced himself to wake up. For the first time, he took in his surroundings. Alisha and her mom were already outside, balancing backpacks and luggage and bags with characteristic grace. They seemed to be in a parking garage, which made no sense, because he was pretty sure they were going to Aroundlight, and there were definitely no parking garages in Aroundlight. He blinked, waiting for the answer to click through the grogginess of sleep, but nothing came to him.

“Where are we?”

Rose brushed off his question, tossing him his backpack and slamming the car door shut. “Come on, already!”

Sorey squeezed his eyes shut one more time, then followed Rose out of the car, examining their surroundings for clues. His eyes focused on the signposts around them. “Are we at the airport?” He straightened up suddenly, finally putting two and two together. They weren’t going camping at all, were they? Not in Aroundlight, in any case. “Guys…”

Alisha’s eyes sparkled. “Come on!” She insisted with a delighted laugh, running ahead with Rose.

Sorey hiked his backpack more securely on his shoulder, chasing after them. “Wait, where are we going?!”

His words were met with more loud giggles, and Rose called back to him over her shoulder. “Just follow us!”

“Hang on, does Gramps know about this?”

“Relax, Sorey, Alisha’s had this figured out for weeks now!” Sorey looked to Alisha’s mom for help, but she only gave him a sly smile and mimed locking her lips together with an invisible key.

Rose and Alisha successfully kept Sorey in the dark about their destination until Rose saw fit to hand Sorey his boarding pass with suitable pomp and circumstance. Sorey took it, feeling his friends’ eyes on him. He scanned the paper, looking for some indication of where they were going. Ladylake Airport to… ELY? What airport was that?

“Is this… Elysia?” Sorey frowned, and then the penny dropped. That couldn’t possibly be it. He searched his mental map for any other reason Rose and Alisha might want to take him to Elysia, but there was only one place he could think of: a short drive from the city. “Guys,” he said, his eyes wide, his heart pounding. “Are we… are we going to Mabinogio? Are we going to--” Rose’s cackle was as good as any confirmation. Sorey felt his head spinning, the hand holding the boarding pass shaking. “Oh my god, we are. Are we really?”

He started laughing, feeling slightly hysterical. Rose and Alisha were beaming like idiots. Sorey could only imagine he looked slightly deranged, shaking his head as he looked from his friends to the boarding ticket and back to his friends. “This is-- you guys, I don’t know what to-- This is incredible--” He shook his head, trying to clear his head and focus on finishing a sentence.

Then he stood straight up, his pounding heart and trembling hands freezing. “Does he know?” His words were practically a squeak, and he looked at Rose and Alisha in turn. “Does Mikleo know we’re coming?” He laughed again; saying the words out loud hit him harder than he had expected, made it seem real, and _he was going to see Mikleo for real_. “Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh I--”

And then he heard it. Tinned laughter, coming from the phone Rose held in her hand. “Mikleo!” Head still spinning, Sorey took the phone from Rose, who jested irritation but was betrayed by her satisfied smirk. Sorey hardly noticed, because there was _Mikleo_ , smiling at him from Rose’s phone. “Did you know about this!?”

“Alisha set it up with me and my mom a few weeks ago.” Mikleo was too small on Rose’s screen, but Sorey could almost see a teasing gleam, an unusual violet shine in his eyes. “Hope you weren’t looking forward to that camping trip too much.”

“I knew you were hiding something!” Sorey exclaimed, and then Alisha tapped him on the shoulder.

“I hate to hurry you, Sorey, but we need to get through security.”

Sorey nodded, hardly ripping his eyes from the screen. “Okay… Okay… I’ll see you soon,” he said, and he nearly choked up at the realization that this time, it would be in person. The next time he saw Mikleo, it would be in person. He was only a few short hours away.

Mikleo seemed to catch onto Sorey’s realization, because his gaze softened, still smiling widely. “Yeah,” he said simply. “Have a safe flight, Sorey.”

He ended the call, and Sorey shook his head again, wiping at his eyes and still feeling dazed. Rose patted him on the arm comfortingly, and Sorey laughed, because he was being ridiculous, wasn’t he? “I can’t believe you guys… this is too much. Alisha--”

“It’s really not that big of a deal,” Alisha said modestly.

Her mom smiled too, when Sorey spun to face her, totally lost for words. Her eyes looked just like Alisha’s, sparkling pale green. “Frankly, our family has always had more money than we know what to do with. Alisha was so excited about this idea, planned the whole thing herself, and you and Mikleo have always been such good friends to her, you know. You, too, Rose,” she added, earning a surprised flush from the girl as her name was spoken.

“Mom,” Alisha said, looking more embarrassed than Rose did.

“In any case,” her mother continued, shaking her head with a slight laugh, “This is for all of us, really! I’ve never been to Elysia, and there are some things I’m excited to see, myself!”

“Thank you so much!” It was all Sorey could say, and he couldn’t help but think it wouldn’t ever be enough. He pulled Alisha into a big hug, and then Rose for good measure, and once it was done they finally made their way towards the line leading to the security checkpoint.


	9. (Re)union

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mikleo put down his phone with a deep exhale. Sorey’s face, astonished and happy, those bright green eyes shining with excitement, lingered in his mind even after the image on his screen had disappeared.
> 
> His mom smiled down at him, pressing a hand to his shoulder. 'And now we wait.'"

Mikleo put down his phone with a deep exhale. Sorey’s face, astonished and happy, those bright green eyes shining with excitement, lingered in his mind even after the image on his screen had disappeared.

His mom smiled down at him, pressing a hand to his shoulder.  “And now we wait.”

Mikleo nodded. “Yeah,” he said absently. Sorey and the others would arrive at the airport in only a few hours. It seemed impossible, and yet it was happening. “I hardly know what to do with myself.”

What Mikleo did with himself, as it turned out, was spend an absolutely disgusting amount of time picking the perfect outfit for the day. When he’d finally chosen, having gone through just about every article of clothing he owned in the process, he glanced at the clock and scowled. Nearly a half an hour had passed.

Well, that was certainly one way to kill time, and so was the fifteen minutes he spent doing his hair afterwards. To be fair, the only reason it took that long was because he’d slicked back his hair, something he almost never did, before realizing that it made him look like he was trying too hard. Then he'd had to wash the product out of his hair and redo it. Finally, he finished looking at himself in the mirror, satisfied that he looked just good enough to pass as casual, and then he groaned, because oh, what Edna would say if she were here right now, watching him fret over Sorey’s arrival like… well, like a teenager with a crush.

Mikleo sighed, glancing at his watch again. That was one hour down, anyway.

* * *

Rose awkwardly twisted in her small airplane seat so she could face Sorey. “You look like you’re gonna pee yourself,” she said bluntly, and while she kept a straight face, Sorey could see the sparkle in her blue eyes.

It was true. While Alisha and her mom had seemingly fallen asleep only a few minutes into the flight, Sorey was a veritable bundle of nervous energy. He tried for about the hundredth time to stop tapping his fingers and nervously jostling his legs, and just like every other time, after only a few minutes he began scratching at his ear again, laughing a little when Rose made an exasperated huffing sound.

“Sorry,” he said, wringing his hands together in his lap and doing his best to look repentant. “I’m just... really excited!” That was perhaps an understatement; he felt full of adrenaline, his heart still pounding in his chest despite the fact that they’d been in the plane a few hours now. Every time he thought he’d calmed down, he’d remember where they were and where they were going and who they were going to see once they got there and everything started again. He squirmed in his seat. “It still feels like I might be dreaming--” He yelped as he felt a sudden painful sting on his arm. “Hey!” He glared at Rose, rubbing at the spot on his arm that was definitely going to bruise.

Rose snickered. “Not dreaming!”

Sorey sat back in his seat, grinning enormously. “I’m pretty sure this is the best birthday present in the history of birthday presents.”

Rose raised her eyebrows. “If anyone would know, it’d be you, you big nerd.”

Her comment earned her a chuckle from Sorey, before he went back to excited hand wringing. “Is he going to meet us at the airport?”

“That’s the plan,” Rose nodded. “He and his mom are going to meet us there.”

Sorey wondered what Mikleo was doing right now. He liked to imagine that Mikleo was just as excited and nervous as he was, but it was possible that Mikleo was totally cool and collected, impervious to the butterflies flitting in Sorey’s stomach. It was hard to believe that he’d really be meeting Mikleo in only-- he glanced at his watch for the fifth time in ten minutes-- less than an hour. It wasn’t the first time he’d imagined meeting his childhood friend, but it was certainly the closest he’d ever been to it.

He turned to Rose again, suddenly urgent. “Rose.” Rose cocked her head, appearing concerned. “Should I hug him when I see him?” A pause, and then Rose’s serious demeanor collapsed as she burst out into a fit of giggles, sinking into her chair. Sorey pouted, crossing his arms. “Hey, don’t laugh! It’s a valid question! I should have asked.”

Rose allowed herself a few more seconds of laughter before wiping an imaginary tear from her eye. “Oh, sheesh, listen to yourself!” When Sorey only pouted again, she rolled her eyes. “Don’t stress yourself out. It’s Mikleo, you know? I bet you anything he’s just as--” she struggled to find the word, settling for gesturing at Sorey in general. “As _this_ as you are.”

 _I hope he is,_ Sorey thought to himself. To Rose, he simply nodded before glancing at the time again.

Despite his best efforts, Sorey couldn't quite calm himself down, impatient and eager. After what seemed like ages, the plane finally touched ground and stopped. Rose and Alisha laughed when Sorey stood up instantly, the crowd of people in front of him an unwelcome delay as he waited impatiently for his turn to exit. As soon as an opportunity presented itself, Sorey cut into the aisleway and soon he was out of the plane and out of the gates and his pace increased until he was almost running ahead of the other three, looking for a familiar face and the softly swooped hair that he’d seen so many times, waiting for him. His heart, which had already been beating quickly, was now positively pounding, the only thing he could hear even in the crowd of travellers around.

He heard Mikleo before he saw him. Sorey heard his name in that familiar voice, and he turned and finally saw the face he’d been yearning to see.

His first thought was that Mikleo was much more beautiful in person, a fact he wouldn’t have thought possible before this very second. Mikleo ran to him, calling his name, and flung himself into arms Sorey didn’t remember raising for a hug. Sorey pulled Mikleo close, and suddenly he was painfully aware that he was probably sweaty and gross from travel, but Mikleo held Sorey just as tightly and Sorey decided that was the only thing that mattered.

* * *

The feeling of Sorey’s arms around him was everything Mikleo had imagined it would be, which was a hard admission to make when it required Mikleo to admit to himself that he had, in fact, imagined what it would be like to hug Sorey. He was warm and solid and _real_ , and Mikleo probably let it last a little too long, but Sorey didn’t seem to have a problem with that, so Mikleo let himself.

“Hey, Sorey,” he said, laughing at how shaken he sounded.

“Good to see you,” came the reply, and they finally let go, backing away so they could see the other clearly. Their eyes locked, and then Sorey’s eyes slipped to a point past Mikleo’s shoulder. “Rose! Are you filming?”

“Maybe,” sang a familiar voice, and Mikleo spun on the spot.

“Rose! Alisha!” Soon, Mikleo was caught in a four-way hug, surrounded by laughter and eager exclamations. When the chaos finally subsided, Mikleo’s mom took a step forward, slipping her phone away and leaving Mikleo with a suspicion that Rose hadn’t been the only one recording the moment.

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Sorey,” she said. Then she turned, introducing herself to Alisha’s mom. The two women smiled, apparently at least a little familiar with each other already thanks to Alisha’s methodical planning.

Sorey beamed, catching Mikleo’s mother’s attention again. “Thank you so much for letting us come!”

“Of course! You’re practically a member of the family! And Rose and Alisha, too,” she added, smiling at the teens in question. “Well, shall we get going?”

“Oh, yeah,” Sorey said. “Uh, where are we going?”

“Food, of course!” Rose cheered, and the gang made their way out of the airport, talking animatedly, spirits soaring.

* * *

“I call shotgun!” Rose immediately claimed the passenger seat of Mikleo’s car, clambering inside and leaving Sorey, Alisha, and Mikleo to squeeze into the three rear seats of the car. Mikleo claimed the middle, a move that fulfilled his hostly duty of giving his guests the more comfortable seats while also taking the opportunity to sit next to both of his friends. It was a bit of a squeeze, but he certainly didn’t mind.

Alisha’s mom was driving behind them in the rental car she’d gotten. Alisha had been hesitant to leave her mom alone for the car ride, Sorey noticed, but in the end, her mom had convinced her that she needed the moment of quiet to herself. “Anyway,” she added, nodding to Sorey and the others, “You should be with your friends, right?”

While Sorey, Rose, and Alisha chatted with Mikleo’s mother as though this was something they did every day, Mikleo remained mostly silent, a grin permanently on his lips. Sorey noticed, tilting his head, wordlessly asking a question. Mikleo shook his head, offering a half-shrug.

“I just can’t believe you’re here,” he said, quiet enough that only Sorey could hear.

Sorey grinned, eyes sparkling. “Hey, at least you knew we were coming. You had time to prepare!”

“I…” Mikleo didn’t know what to say to that. “Your voice sounds different in person.”

“Does it?” Sorey asked, and Mikleo felt his heart jump into his throat as Sorey reached out to brush Mikleo’s hair away from his forehead.

“What are you doing?” Mikleo asked, stumbling over the words and feeling his cheeks heat.

Sorey pulled away, as if he’d only just realized what he was doing. “Sorry,” he said quickly. “I was wondering if it was as soft as it always looks, and--” He turned away and chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry,” he said again.

His blush was even more adorable in person, and now that he was right here in front of him, Mikleo could see all sorts of things about Sorey, dark skin that was so smooth and his lightly muscled build and honestly if Sorey kept this up all weekend Mikleo was definitely going to die.

But oh, what a way to go.

 _Enough of that_ , Mikleo thought, a bit humiliated by his train of thought, and he jabbed Sorey in the stomach, making him yelp. “You’re such a dork,” he huffed.

“Hey!” Sorey pouted, and before Mikleo got derailed again thinking about how cute _that_ was, Sorey had jabbed Mikleo in retaliation, and a helpless squeak escaped Mikleo’s mouth before he could stop it.

There was a moment of smile, and then Sorey’s eyes glinted with malicious intent. “Are you… ticklish?”

He prodded at Mikleo’s stomach again, softer this time, and Mikleo couldn’t stop himself from squealing. “Sorey! N-no! I--” He countered, getting his hands to Sorey’s waist, and from there it was an all-out tickle war, until Sorey sent Mikleo hurling backwards, nearly into the lap of an increasingly squished Alisha.

“Uh, guys?” She said hesitantly, and Sorey immediately pulled back.

“Sorry, Alisha-- hey!” Sorey glared at Mikleo, who had taken advantage of Sorey’s distraction to get one last hit in, and was now looking straight forward, the picture of innocence.

“It’s like they’d never been apart,” Rose snickered.

* * *

Rose leaned back in her chair with a satisfied moan. “That was delicious,” she said, eyes closed. Once everyone had agreed, her eyes popped open again. “So, where to now?”

Sorey crossed his arms, shooting Rose a look. “How am I supposed to know?”

Alisha put a finger to her lips. “Well, we have our hotel reservation, of course.”

“Muse was kind enough to offer her home to all of us,” Alisha’s mom began, “But we couldn’t possibly all impose on her like that. I’m responsible for Rose and Alisha, so they’ll stay with me.” Sorey cocked his head, clearly confused as to why his name hadn’t been mentioned. Alisha grinned, and her mom continued. “Sorey, your grandfather gave me permission to leave you with Muse, if you want to, since she’s a family friend.”

Sorey blinked, shooting a quick glance at Mikleo and fighting the smile growing on his face. “Really?”

Alisha’s mom nodded, and Rose bumped his shoulder, wearing a devilish grin. “Sorey’s definitely going to want to go with Mikleo, right?”

Sorey rubbed his shoulder, considering Rose’s question. “I mean, whatever’s more convenient…”

Alisha gave him a small, knowing smile. “I think it would be more convenient to let us have the hotel room to ourselves, Sorey.”

"Yep. No boys allowed," Rose snickered, bumping Sorey yet again. “No offense.”

Sorey laughed. “None taken.” He glanced at Mikleo out of the corner of his eye. “Can I?”

Mikleo tossed his head up with a belligerent huff. “What are you even asking for? Of course.”

“Okay!” Sorey looked back to Rose and Alisha, who seemed just a little too amused. “Well, that’s settled, then!”

* * *

 _Sent:_  
_See you guys tomorrow!  
9:02 pm _

_Received:_  
_Rose: You got it!_  
_9:02 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Alisha: Have fun!_  
_9:03 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Rose: Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! ;)_  
_9:05 pm_


	10. Mabinogio, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was different than what Sorey was used to, but there was something nice about it all the same; something that felt familiar."

For the most part, Mikleo’s house was a mystery to Sorey. Usually, he only saw the stretch of wall behind Mikleo’s head in his bedroom, though on occasion Mikleo had taken the laptop with him to other locations. He recognized the living room as the location of some of Mikleo’s impromptu violin concerts, and the kitchen from the time Mikleo had attempted to give Alisha and him a cooking tutorial over video. Despite never having actually been there, Mikleo’s house was weirdly familiar. It smelled nice, too, like vanilla, which surprised Sorey. Not that Mikleo and his house would smell nice. It just wasn’t something he’d ever thought about before.

It didn’t take long for Mikleo to show him around, since the house was pretty small with only him and his mom living there. “Bathroom’s through here, and I’ll take the couch, which means you can have my room,” Mikleo finished his tour.

“What?” Sorey protested at Mikleo’s expectant look. “I’m not kicking you out of your bed. I can sleep on the couch just as well as you.”

Mikleo opened his mouth, but seemed to change his mind. “If you insist,” he said instead, covering his mouth with one hand and taking a seat at his desk.

Sorey took the opportunity to change into his pajamas, pausing a moment before making his way to the bathroom to do so. When he returned, Mikleo was in his pajamas too, scrolling through social media. “So,” he began, standing in the middle of the room, feeling a little out of place for the first time since his arrival. “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”

Mikleo closed his eyes, deep in thought, a look Sorey very much admired on him. “Rose and Alisha said they have plans with Alisha’s mom for tomorrow morning, so we’ll probably pick them up after lunch. The morning’s sort of free. I was thinking we could go to the museum where I work? Or we could just explore,” he added hastily, eyes opening, and for a second, there was a kind of vulnerability in his expression. “Whatever you want.”

“That sounds great,” Sorey assured him, earning a smile from Mikleo that made his heart jump.  He wondered just how long Mikleo had been worrying about this.

“You can sit down,” Mikleo said, gesturing to his bed. Sorey took him up on his offer, since there were no other chairs in the room.

“It’s amazing how familiar this all is, even though I’ve never been here before,” he commented, looking around Mikleo’s room from his new vantage point on the bed. He examined the various trinkets and books on Mikleo’s desk, noticing a familiar package on a shelf above Mikleo’s head. “Hey, that’s from me!”

Mikleo glanced at where he was pointing. “Oh, yeah, I got it in the mail this morning.”

Sorey scratched at his ear, thinking of Mikleo’s birthday present waiting inside. “I don’t think it’s going to even compare to this.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Mikleo said, turning to face him. “It’s not like I really got you anything,” he added, twisting at the ring on his finger.

“You planned some of this trip out, didn’t you?” Sorey already knew he had. _He wouldn’t be Mikleo if he hadn’t_ , he thought, which made him smile. “I think that counts.”

Mikleo didn’t deny it, instead reaching up and plucking a book from his bookshelf. “Oh, by the way, you can take this home with you, since I’m done with it,” He handed Sorey the book, which Sorey now recognized as the one he’d mailed to Mikleo only a few weeks ago. “I was going to mail it back, but I figured this would be easier.”

“Thanks,” Sorey said, idly flipping through the pages while Mikleo turned back to his laptop. He wasn’t really reading it; while he often read before bed, he was a little too tired after a long day of travel and excitement. Mikleo seemed content to sit quietly, as well, too tired for conversation but unwilling to go to sleep just yet.

“Oh my gosh,” Mikleo said, causing Sorey to look back up. “They posted that video.”

“Huh?” Sorey scooted to the edge of the bed so he could see the screen more clearly.

Mikleo pressed his fingers to his forehead, shaking his head in exasperation. “Rose posted that video of us at the airport.”

Sorey watched as the Mikleo on the screen ran to him, and he practically lifted Mikleo a few inches in the air with the eagerness of his hug-- had he really done that? “Wow,” he said, glancing down at some of the comments and flushing, wondering if Mikleo had seen them too. “It has a couple hundred likes already.”

“How is that even possible?” Mikleo groaned.

Sorey leaned back on the bed, reaching for his phone to like the video himself. “Rose does have a lot of friends…” He yawned, shutting off his phone and resting it on his stomach. “But that’s something else.” Why would anyone who didn’t already know them care, anyway?

For the tiniest second, Mikleo made a face, but before Sorey could attempt to interpret it, he blinked and it was gone. “Did you have a nice flight?”

“Yeah,” Sorey said, closing his eyes, and he really shouldn’t have laid down because Mikleo’s bed was pretty comfy and his eyes were starting to feel heavy. “Now I know why Alisha and Rose made us wake up so early.” He opened his eyes, only to have them slip closed again almost instantly. He hummed, forcing himself to form words instead. “I should probably move, or I’m gonna fall asleep…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mikleo said, and that was the last thing Sorey remembered before drifting off entirely.

* * *

Sorey had only been here a few hours, and Mikleo was already going mad.

Not in a bad way, of course. There was something _right_ about having Sorey by his side as they walked and talked, even though maybe it should have been strange after being divided for so long. Mikleo definitely wasn’t complaining about how physical Sorey was, how closely he’d sat next to Mikleo, how easily he’d moved to touch Mikleo’s hair and tickle him, and especially that hug, warm and secure in a way that had made Mikleo wish he never had to let go.

When they’d had their dispute about where Sorey should sleep, Mikleo had come dangerously close to suggesting they just share the bed. It was big enough, he’d almost said, thinking himself so clever for resisting the idea at the last minute. And here he was anyway: faced with Sorey, all cute and sleepy and in Mikleo’s _bed._

 _That's just unfair,_ Mikleo found himself thinking a little desperately, and he left Sorey to his bed, taking the couch and wondering how he was possibly going to survive a whole weekend’s worth of Sorey being… _Sorey._

* * *

Sorey woke up to a flurry of feelings: confusion as he remembered where he was, embarrassment as he realized he’d fallen asleep in Mikleo’s bed, the nervousness that came with staying in a house that wasn’t one’s own, excitement at the thought of the whole weekend ahead of them to be together. It was too much to handle, so Sorey set his feelings aside for the moment, he made his way into the hall, looking for Mikleo as he slowly made his way into the kitchen.

“Good morning.” As soon as Sorey saw the back of Mikleo’s head, he felt the embarrassment creeping back. “Sorry I fell asleep like that, I just--” He stopped short, finally glancing down at the breakfast that Mikleo had apparently been preparing. “Whoa. Did you make all this?”

Mikleo spun around quickly, looking like a child caught doing something wrong as he glanced down at all he’d prepared: pancakes, bacon, fruit, buttered toast, an omelette cooking on the stove. Maybe not a feast, but definitely a little over the top, Sorey thought, and Mikleo seemed to realize the same, turning his back to move the omelette to a plate. “I… I got a little excited,” he admitted, handing Sorey his plate without meeting his eyes. Sorey felt a rush of affection for Mikleo, a little giddy with the knowledge that he wasn’t the only one this excited and nervous about being together.

“I bet it’s great. I’ve always wanted to try some of your cooking!” He’d hoped to ease Mikleo’s embarrassment, but the words seemed to have the opposite effect, making him blush redder than ever. Sorey found himself overflowing with affection for his friend, a feeling that increased tenfold when he took his first bite.

“This is amazing!”

* * *

“Good morning, you two!”

Sorey and Mikleo looked up to see Mikleo’s mom enter the kitchen, pausing with surprise at all the food about. “Have some, mom. There’s plenty,” Mikleo said, shooting a look at Sorey. “Even with Sorey’s black hole of a stomach.”

Sorey stuck his tongue out. “You wouldn’t be saying that if Rose were here; she’s ten times worse than me. It’s just really good! Definitely the best breakfast I’ve ever had.” He was, perhaps, a little merciless when it came to exploiting Mikleo’s enjoyment of compliments. He just looked so cute when he was flustered.

Mikleo’s mom took a seat and a plate, and the three of them ate, talked, and helped clean together. It was different than what Sorey was used to, but there was something nice about it all the same; something that felt familiar, as if they ate together all the time.

They washed up and explained to Mikleo’s mom that Mikleo was going to show Sorey around town. Soon enough, they were dressed and out the door, walking down the street side by side, Mikleo pointing out things and places he’d told Sorey about as they passed, along with the bits of trivia he’d never thought to tell him. The street Mikleo lived on was lined with small houses, packed closely together, not far at all from the indeterminate point where residential streets turned into the shops and buildings of the town proper.

“There’s a coffee shop ahead, if you want something.”

“Sounds good.”

They entered the shop on the corner and waited in the short line together, still chatting animatedly, swapping stories. By the time Mikleo had finished explaining with a shake of his head how Edna was always dragging them in here on their way home from school, their orders were ready, but as they made to exit the store, they were stopped by the sound of an eager voice.

“Hey, Mikleo!”

Mikleo stood up straighter at the sound of the voice. A boy their age approached them, and Sorey swore he looked familiar, though how he could have seen this boy before when he’d never been here before was a mystery.

“Oh, hey!” Mikleo smiled, but Sorey could see that his stance had gone stiff, no longer confident and relaxed as he had been only a few minutes ago. “Uh, Sorey, this is Kurt. Kurt, this is my friend, Sorey.”

Upon hearing the name, Sorey suddenly realized where he’d seen this person before. “I know you!” Kurt looked surprised. “You’re the one that took Mikleo to your prom, right?”

Kurt blinked, then smiled, nodding. “That’s me!” He cocked his head, looking between Mikleo and Sorey curiously. “He told you about me?”

“Yep!” Sorey nodded, hands resting on his hips. “He said you had a good time, so thank you!"

"What are you thanking me for, exactly?" Kurt asked, amused.

Sorey blinked, cursing himself for his impulsive mouth. He couldn't exactly say that he was glad Mikleo had had a good time even if Sorey couldn't be the one to ask him to the dance, could he? Instead, he chuckled, trying to play it off. "Oh, you know, he would never go to a dance if no one asked him, so it's good he got to go at least once!"

Mikleo, who had turned pink along with Sorey, shot him a glance out of the corner of his eye. "That's really not something you have to thank him for," he grumbled.

"Ha, I guess you're right, sorry," Sorey said, hoping his laugh didn't sound too forced.

Kurt raised his eyebrows. "You're welcome, then," he said, repressing a smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here, Sorey. I guess you’re the friend he mentioned from Ladylake?"

“He mentioned me?” Sorey asked, and he and Kurt both laughed, realizing that they’d both asked a very similar question. “And wait, how did you know it was me?”

Kurt smiled, glancing Mikleo’s way and then offering a casual shrug. “Lucky guess.”

Mikleo coughed. “Well, it was nice to see you, but we should probably go now.”

“Right,” Kurt agreed. “I’ll see you!”

“Have a good day!” Sorey waved goodbye too as they left the coffee shop. Mikleo walked by his side, still somewhat stiff, and Sorey wondered if he'd forgotten about Sorey's earlier blunder. “He was nice,” Sorey commented carefully.

“Yeah,” Mikleo agreed, and Sorey was relived when he said no more about the subject, leading the way to the museum.

* * *

Sorey had always wanted to see the Mabinogio Museum, only partly because of the way talking about it made Mikleo’s eyes get that sparkly, excited look as he talked about the exhibits. Mostly, though, his eagerness came from everything Mikleo told him about the history of the place, the mysteries surrounding the exhibits and artifacts that he hoped to solve, the intriguing tidbits of life behind the scenes of the museum. Sorey had always been a bit not-so-secretly jealous of Mikleo’s job. Even when he saw how busy it made Mikleo at times, the way Mikleo talked about the place convinced him it must be worth it.

It was everything Mikleo had said and more, and Sorey practically dragged him all around the place, determined to see everything the place had to offer in the short time they had until it was time to return to the house. This resulted in a clumsy pattern where Sorey would grab Mikleo by the arm or hand to keep up with him and one particularly memorable instance where Sorey reached for Mikleo’s hand only to pull him forward too quickly, causing Mikleo to tumble to the ground. Sorey apologized profusely, relieved that while Mikleo was scowling, it was his fake “I’m-pretending-to-be-mad-at-you-on-principle-but-really-I-find-this-situation-kind-of-amusing” scowl that Sorey found so endearing. Still, Mikleo didn’t let Sorey forget about it, even when the afternoon arrived, along with Rose, Alisha, and her mom.

The three had spent the day sightseeing around Elysia, and while Alisha’s mom conversed with Mikleo’s, they piled into the living room and showed Sorey and Mikleo all the selfies they’d taken that day, which grew increasingly silly as the morning had gone on. Sorey smiled when Alisha stopped her scrolling at the last photo; Alisha and Rose at the fancy restaurant where they’d eaten lunch, flushed cheeks pressed together, arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders and beaming. He glanced up at Alisha, whose smile seemed to falter for a second as she stared down at the screen, but he blinked and he was forced to conclude that he must have imagined whatever look he thought had seen.

Rose had had the foresight to pack her video game console, so the loose plan was a night of pizza and video games. For once, Mikleo actually had the chance to play against the others, and Sorey, usually easygoing when it came to these gaming tournaments, found himself spurred forward by Mikleo’s competitive streak. Unfortunately for Mikleo, he was at a slight disadvantage, and he knew it; the others had been playing these same games for years now.

He was, as ever, a quick learner, swiftly surpassing Alisha-- not that that was saying much. As for Sorey, well, he was doing his best to distract himself from the warm press of Mikleo’s arm against his by tapping into his own competitive nature. In the end, it was pointless; Rose dominated, as she did every time, Sorey and Mikleo fighting for second while Alisha trailed behind, having just as much fun as the others shouting and cheering Rose and the others on.

Again, Sorey was amazed at how natural this all felt. Mikleo had always been a part of their group, and it wasn’t any different now that they were here in person. If anything, it was that much better.

Sorey would hate to leave.

* * *

Mikleo loved having his friends around, and he especially loved finally getting a chance to challenge them at the video games they were always playing without him, but even so, by the time Rose and Alisha had to leave, he was a little exhausted from all the attention and excitement.

Sorey seemed to catch on to this, getting ready for bed in comfortable silence, picking up his book, and curling up on the couch to read. Mikleo hesitated, then decided he couldn’t possibly go to sleep yet, not with so little time to spend with Sorey. Instead, he went to his room to grab a book of his own, making his way back to the couch. When Sorey saw the book in his hand, he answered Mikleo’s unspoken question with a small smile, scooting to one side so Mikleo could take his seat next to him.

That night, Sorey slept on the couch, and Mikleo in his bed, as they’d planned. Mikleo could swear his pillow still smelled a bit like Sorey, and wondered if that was even possible. After the day he’d had-- Sorey’s compliments about his cooking, his interactions with Kurt, the way he’d stood so close to him, taking his hand and sitting near him so casually-- Mikleo wouldn’t be surprised to find he was imagining it.

But then, it couldn’t hurt to imagine, right?


	11. Mabinogio, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The day was great, and only slightly dampened by the knowledge that Sorey and the others were going home tomorrow."

The next day went by far too quickly. Sorey helped Mikleo make breakfast, the two working in tandem as they talked about plans for the day. When that was cleared up, they helped Mikleo’s mom make cookies while she entertained Sorey with stories about Mikleo’s failed attempts at baking, which later spread into all sorts of stories about Mikleo’s childhood, some embarrassing, all cute, and all flustering Mikleo terribly. In the interest of fairness, Sorey offered stories of his own, and most of the late morning consisted of the three of them, sitting around the table eating cookies and laughing.

Around noon, Rose and Alisha arrived, and while Alisha’s mom and Mikleo’s mom conversed, the friends made a quick lunch together, taking their gathering to the small plastic table in Mikleo’s front yard. The weather was nice for it, sunny and windless, and each of them took an edge of the square tabletop.

Their meal was interrupted as a group of newcomers approached with cheerful greetings. Sorey had only met them a few times, but even if he hadn’t been able to recognize Lailah, Zaveid, Eizen, and Edna, the look on Mikleo’s face would have given it away immediately. According to Lailah, they’d “just been talking a stroll,” but it was pretty obvious that they’d caught wind of Sorey’s presence and were determined to meet him in person.

“I’ve met Sorey, of course, but what about these two lovely ladies?” Zaveid earned himself twin glares from Lailah and Eizen. Edna just rolled her eyes.

Alisha’s smile faltered, but she shook her head when Rose shot her a questioning glance. Sorey knew that Rose, fiercely protective of all their friends and especially Alisha, wanted nothing more than to correct Zaveid’s mistake, but she followed Alisha’s direction and let it pass.

“This is Rose, and this is Alisha,” Sorey said instead.

Lailah nodded, light eyes glittering with excitement. “Yes, of course! Mikleo mentions you two all the time!”

“I’m sure you already know who I am,” Edna said, crossing her arms.

Rose scratched at the back of her head, laughing awkwardly. Alisha frowned, politely apologetic. “I’m afraid I don’t. What is your name?”

Mikleo sighed, and Edna was only just able to contain her smirk. “You don’t know? How disrespectful.”

Alisha’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, obviously ready to beg forgiveness, when Mikleo cut her off. “Don’t tease Alisha.” Edna looked as if she were about to protest at being denied someone who was almost as fun to tease as Mikleo himself, but she just rolled her eyes again. Then Mikleo turned back to Alisha. “This is Edna.”

Alisha nodded, and suddenly something clicked. “Oh, of course! Mikleo has mentioned you, before! It’s nice to meet you, Edna!”

Edna clicked her tongue, but held whatever comment she’d been about to unleash on poor Alisha. Lailah took over instead, acting as if there had been no interruption. “It’s so good of you to visit for his birthday!”

“It’s Sorey’s birthday too, isn’t it?” Edna asked, eyes turned dispassionately to Sorey. “They were born on the same day, isn’t that right, Meebo?”

Mikleo flushed, and it was all Sorey could do not to laugh; he knew Mikleo hated that nickname. “Oh, that’s right! Happy birthday to you, too, then, Sorey!” Zaveid and Eizen offered their own happy birthdays, one jovial and one gruff.

“It’s not for two days, still,” Mikleo grumbled, glancing Sorey’s way. Sorey realized he probably had a goofy smile plastered across his face, but before he could do anything about it, Mikleo smiled back, and then his mother's voice tore his attention away.

“Oh, Lailah! What are you all doing here?” Mikleo’s mom chose that moment to join the fray, calling to them from the doorstep, Alisha’s mom close behind. After a few minutes of her own greetings and introductions, she added hastily, “Won’t you come in? We have cookies from earlier this morning, if you’d like!”

Mikleo groaned, clearly not enthusiastic about spending more time with the likes of Zaveid and Edna. Lailah opened her mouth, already taking steps towards the door, when Edna raised an arm, blocking her approach. “No thank you,” she said, her voice calm and clear. “We’re busy today.”

Lailah frowned, but a look from Edna seemed to convince her. “Maybe some other time, then. It was nice to meet you all!” As Mikleo’s neighbors left, Sorey could swear he saw a look pass between Edna and Mikleo that said money was going to be exchanging hands for _that_ favor.

After lunch, the plan was to go out together to see a movie. Mikleo couldn’t remember much about it, other than that he got to sit next to Sorey, who leaned over to whisper his commentary into Mikleo’s ear, brushing their arms together in the process. The whole thing felt dangerously close to a date, and if Mikleo let himself, he might have been able to convince himself that it was; Sorey certainly wasn’t doing anything to dissuade him from the notion, with all that touching and looking and whispering. For a moment, Mikleo wondered if Sorey was doing it on purpose, but no, he dismissed that thought immediately, as he had the streams of wishful thinking that had been inspired this weekend by Sorey’s mere proximity.

Next to them, Alisha and Rose also seemed to be sitting close together, having their own whispered commentary, if their giggles were anything to go by-- though Mikleo had a sneaking suspicion that not all of it was about the movie at all.

At the end of the day, they returned to the hotel where Rose and Alisha were staying to take advantage of the pool there. Mikleo wasn’t a bad swimmer; in another life, he might have taken a job as a lifeguard instead of at the museum that he so enjoyed. There were races, and for once Mikleo managed to come out on top, and then Rose and Alisha started a splash fight, dunking each other and screaming and generally annoying the other hotel guests around them, eventually driving everyone else out. By the end of the night, the four of them had settled in the hot tub, just relaxing and chatting until it was time for Sorey and Mikleo to go.

The day was great, and only slightly dampened by the knowledge that Sorey and the others were going home tomorrow.

* * *

 Alisha texted him that night.

 _Received:_  
 _Hey, Mikleo. Are you still awake?_  
_10:42 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Yeah. You alright?_  
_10:43 pm_

 _Received:_  
_I just have a lot on my mind.  
10:46 pm _

_Sent:_  
_And you want to talk about it?_  
_10:47 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Is that okay?_  
_10:47 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Of course it is_  
_10:48 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Right._  
_10:48 pm_

A long pause followed, and Mikleo could imagine Alisha typing and deleting, trying to make some kind of sense of whatever the problem was. It must be something serious, if she was texting him when Rose was right in the same hotel room with her. He was patient, and a few minutes later, he was rewarded with a veritable flood of texts, one right after another.

 _Received:_  
_Sergei asked me if he could be my boyfriend. A few days ago._  
_10:54 pm_

 _Received:_  
_part of me really wants to say yes. he’s nice and handsome and i’ve liked him for a long time and i want to be his_  
_10:54 pm_

 _Received:_  
_Girlfriend doesn’t feel right. But. you know. that._  
_10:54 pm_

 _Received:_  
_But then theres another part of me that… i don’t know what im feeling. And i dont know what she feels. And i dont know what to do about any of it and i just… i don’t know_  
_10:55 pm_

 _Received:_  
_I want to say yes but i can’t. it wouldn't be fair._  
_10:55 pm_

Mikleo let himself read the messages a few times, trying to take in the new context without jumping to any conclusions. The vague "she" Alisha referred to surprised him, for more than one reason, but Alisha seemed overwhelmed, so he wouldn't press her about it. 

 _Sent:_  
_Have you told Sergei any of that?_  
_10:57 pm_

 _Received:_  
_I couldn’t. I just said i have to think about it. I feel awful, he probably thinks i don’t like him at all now and i do._  
_10:58 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_I’m sure Sergei doesn’t think that. He’s an understanding guy. And I’m sure he’d be understanding if you told him this stuff, too._  
_10:59 pm_

 _Received:_  
_I know. he's always so kind. It’s part of why i like him so much.  
11:00 pm _

_Received:_  
_Sometimes i think maybe i even love him, but how can i be if i feel this way at the same time?_  
_11:00 pm_

 _Received:_  
_I just feel so stupid_  
_11:00 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_You’re not stupid for being confused. I’m sure you’ll figure it out._  
_11:01 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Feelings are complicated. And they’ll both understand that. And we all care about you, whatever you decide._  
_11:02 pm_

 _Sent:_  
_Sorry, I wish I could say something better.  
11:01 pm _

* * *

Mikleo was curled up on the couch, staring at a book he wasn’t really reading, when Sorey entered the living room and set his backpack down. Mikleo looked up, ignoring the hollow feeling in his chest.

“You all packed?”

“Yeah.”

“Got your book?”

Sorey held up the book he’d loaned to Mikleo, nodding and then tucking it into one of the outer pockets of the backpack. Then he took a seat next to Mikleo on the couch, close enough that their knees touched.

“Thanks for everything,” he said, and Mikleo watched his fingers tapping at his knee. “I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too,” Mikleo said. The words were inadequate, but he hoped Sorey understood anyway. He nodded, and Mikleo thought maybe he did.

“I wish I could stay longer.”

“Me too,” Mikleo said again. “Maybe…” he hesitated, clenching and unclenching his fists. Should he ask, or was it too presumptuous? “I could come to Ladylake sometime this summer? If that’s okay, I mean.”

Sorey brightened immediately, turning to face Mikleo. “That’d be great! And you could stay a lot longer too, that way!”

Mikleo let himself imagine it. He wondered if he would get along with Gramps the way Sorey seemed to click with his mother. He wondered what it would be like to be this close to Sorey for an extended period of time, what they would do together in Ladylake, what Sorey would want them to do together. He realized he’d been thinking for far too long, eyes still locked with Sorey’s. But Sorey hadn’t looked away, either.

Mikleo broke it first, looking down at his lap instead. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I guess you probably want to go to bed, huh?” He shifted on the couch, unable to decide whether to get up or not. He didn’t want to leave. Going to bed now meant waking up tomorrow morning and facing all that came with it.

“It’s okay,” Sorey said, scooting to sit closer to Mikleo, and by that action and his tone of voice, Mikleo knew he was feeling the same trepidation.

“We could put on a movie?”

A few minutes later the television was turned on, books set aside. It was almost too quiet to hear, volume lowered so as not to disturb Mikleo’s mom, but neither Sorey nor Mikleo were really paying attention to the documentary, anyway. They sat together quietly, and Mikleo could feel the tension between them, their time together slipping away almost tangibly.

It didn’t have to be this way, so silent and glum, missing each other before they’d even been separated. Mikleo opened his eyes, unaware that he’d closed them in the first place.

Everything seemed to stop when he saw Sorey’s face. He was looking straight at Mikleo, the documentary entirely forgotten, and his expression was… something Mikleo wasn’t entirely sure he ‘d seen on Sorey’s face before. Sorey was completely focused on Mikleo and Mikleo alone, and he didn’t break away even when Mikleo looked at him, and there was something open and vulnerable that Mikleo knew was important, if he could only decode what it meant.

 _Longing_ , Mikleo’s mind supplied, and suddenly he was hyper-aware of how closely they were sitting together, how Sorey’s knee was still warm against his even though they had the whole couch to sit on.

Probably just wishful thinking on his part, Mikleo realized, turning his eyes, if not his thoughts, back to the flashing images on the screen in front of them. It wasn’t like him to misread Sorey, but this was a special case.

And then Mikleo felt something touch his finger. He froze, but he didn’t have to look to know that it was Sorey’s hand, resting on his knee, just close enough for Mikleo’s fingers to nudge against it. It could be an accident, and yet Mikleo had seen Sorey’s face only moments before and Sorey could have easily pulled away, or Mikleo himself could have. Neither of them did.

Mikleo was stock still, but his mind was racing. What did this mean? Was he misinterpreting? Overanalyzing? He couldn’t trust his own conclusions on the matter, not after a weekend of having his mind scattered by Sorey’s mere presence. And now the tension in the room was something different entirely, or at least, Mikleo thought it was. As if they were both waiting for someone to say something, to do something.

Mikleo could say something. It wasn’t that crazy of an idea, to think Sorey might feel the same. Even if he didn’t, it was Sorey; surely their friendship would survive something as harmless as unrequited feelings.

But then what? Even if he was right, what then? Sorey would still leave tomorrow, either way. Right or wrong, Mikleo couldn’t bear to finally tell Sorey only to have him gone the next day. What if he was wrong, and it just made things awkward and Sorey never called him again? What if their friendship grew awkward and strained, like what had happened with Dezel only a few years ago?

And on the other hand, what if he was _right?_ It wasn’t like they could actually date, no matter how much this weekend had fueled Mikleo’s fantasies. Sorey deserved someone he could see every day, who he could drown in the physical affection he loved to dole out.

Mikleo felt Sorey’s eyes turn back to the television screen, their fingers still brushing warmly. Neither of them moved.

* * *

 _Received:_  
_I know I should tell him. I know he would understand, but I’m terrified of losing him._  
_11:09 pm_

 _Received:_  
_What am I supposed to do?_  
_11:10 pm_


	12. Gifts, Goodbyes, and Hesitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then they were at the airport again, like they’d never left. Alisha met his eye with a feeble smile, which Mikleo returned with what he hoped was understanding and compassion. He took turns hugging Rose and Alisha, who said their last goodbyes and happy birthdays, and he thanked them again for everything they’d done and wished them a safe flight.
> 
> And then Sorey hugged him, and Mikleo was struck one last time just how much he was going to miss something so simple as being able to physically feel him.

Mikleo’s mom woke Sorey and Mikleo up the next morning, the morning before their birthday, making no comment on the way they’d fallen asleep together, for which Mikleo was grateful. The three bustled around the house and while Sorey packed the last of his belongings, Mikleo filled a plastic bag with the last of the chocolate-chip cookies they’d made yesterday, intending to sneak it into Sorey’s carry-on before he left.

And then they were at the airport again, like they’d never left. Alisha met his eye with a feeble smile, which Mikleo returned with what he hoped was understanding and compassion. He took turns hugging Rose and Alisha, who said their last goodbyes and happy birthdays, and he thanked them again for everything they’d done and wished them a safe flight.

And then Sorey hugged him, and Mikleo was struck one last time just how much he was going to miss something so simple as being able to physically feel him. He wanted more of those hugs, more of Sorey dragging him all around the museum, more of Sorey bumping against him because they were walking so closely, of Sorey leaning over to whisper something to him, even of Sorey starting those ridiculous tickle fights that he’d pretended to hate.

“Don’t forget about coming to Ladylake over the summer,” Sorey said, still holding Mikleo tightly, and Mikleo nodded against his shoulder.

“I’d like that,” he said. Silence fell again, and Mikleo forced himself to pull away. And here it was, one last chance to say  _something_.

It was a powerfully tall cliff, with no end in sight.

“Bye, Mikleo,” Sorey finally said, their eyes meeting, and Mikleo could see the words swimming in those expressive eyes, swore for a moment that he could see Sorey holding them back, just like he was. What else could they do?

Mikleo blinked. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?” It was a promise.

Sorey nodded. “Yeah.”

Mikleo watched him join Rose and Alisha making their way towards security. His mom put a comforting arm around him, and Mikleo followed her lead, back to their car, back to their home.

* * *

Mikleo hadn’t expected to get an incoming call from Sorey that night. Or maybe he had, and that was why he was pointlessly wandering on the internet instead of reading a book or doing something useful. In any case, he answered the call immediately, simultaneously pleased and pained to see Sorey once again on his computer screen.

“Hey,” came the sound of Sorey’s voice, tinny through the speakers, and that shouldn’t have ached to hear after only a few days of hearing the real thing. “Thanks for the cookies.”

So he’d found them. “No problem,” Mikleo replied easily. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“I just got back,” Sorey said, and Mikleo noticed his hair, disheveled from travel. “Anyway, shouldn’t you?”

“Waiting til midnight,” Mikleo said, and Sorey nodded, not needing the full explanation. At that moment, both their phones chirped at the same time. They shot each other a look before glancing at their phones.

“Is yours from Rose, too?”

“Alisha.” Mikleo had received a rather long text from her, which wasn’t completely unusual for her, especially recently. Instead of reading it straight away, his eyes lingered on Sorey a little longer. His lips were pressed together, and he looked pained. “Sorey? What is it?”

Sorey hesitated. “I think she’s panicking a little bit. Actually, her exact words were: ‘I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m panicking.’ Oh, here’s another one.” Sorey gave a little exhale, one that could only indicate surprise. “Oh.”

Mikleo shook his head, bemused. “Rose really confessed to Alisha… I can’t say I saw that coming.” Sorey started, a question forming on his lips, but Mikleo was already holding up his phone in explanation. Sorey nodded, still looking lost in thought.

Mikleo took the opportunity to finish reading Alisha’s message, anxious and uncertain. He tapped out a quick message.

 _Sent:_  
_You’ll have to talk to them. Make sure they know how you’re feeling. I know it’s hard, but you never know until you try, right?_  
_11:59 pm_

Mikleo set his phone to the side, still processing. He hoped things turned out okay for them, but as it was, it was hard to see an ending that worked out for all three of them. “Wow,” he finally said, unable to think of another word.

“Yeah,” Sorey said, shaking his head like he couldn’t quite believe it all either. “I guess we just have to leave it to them to work out, huh?” Mikleo nodded. “I hope they figure it out. Hey, it’s midnight,” he said, glancing at his clock. “Happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday,” Mikleo returned. “Oh, I guess that means I can open my present now,” he realized, and once he'd thought of it he could hardly wait; he'd been painfully eager to open it since it had arrived in the mail only a day before Sorey himself. Sorey’s smile immediately dropped, their friends’ situation momentarily forgotten.

“Oh, yeah,” Sorey said quickly as Mikleo moved to grab the box that had been sitting by his desk all this time and began picking at it. “It’s really not that great, but…” He trailed off as Mikleo finally got the package unwrapped, as if afraid to say any more.

Inside the package was a small paper envelope. Mikleo peeked inside and paused, then gently poured the contents into his hand. Sorey was quiet as he carefully examined his gift: a thin cord that formed a necklace, with a pendant of three light blue feathers. It could have easily passed for something store-bought, but as Mikleo studied the familiar feathers and the make of the necklace, he knew there was only one explanation.

“Did you make this?”

Sorey nodded, fiddling with his own feathered earrings the way he did when he was nervous. “Yep. I figured you’d prefer something different. Besides earrings, I mean. And the feathers are blue because, you know, Luzrov Rulay.”

“Wow,” was all Mikleo could think to say.

“Of course, uh, you don’t have to wear it or anything,” Sorey said, turning his eyes away, and under other circumstances Mikleo might have teased him for his nervous bumbling. As it was, he was far too preoccupied with the clasps on his gift. “I just thought…”

Mikleo finally managed to get the necklace on, and Sorey trailed off entirely. Mikleo was almost certain he wasn’t imagining the way Sorey’s face had turned pink, or the way he’d forgotten about averting those captivating green eyes, looking at him with what Mikleo dared to think might be admiration.

Mikleo found he couldn’t meet those eyes any longer, sure that if he hung on any longer, those unspoken words that had hung so heavy only hours ago would become impossible to ignore. He dropped his gaze to the feathers, fiddling with them the way he’d seen Sorey do what must have been a thousand times. “It’s nice,” he finally said softly, not looking up. “Thanks.”

There was a short pause. “I guess that’s all, then. Time for bed?”

“Probably,” Mikleo said, but Sorey made no move to end the call. Instead, silence fell over them.

“Is it weird that I already miss you?” Sorey said it suddenly, his voice subdued.

Mikleo paused, still not looking at him. “No,” he decided, and when he finally met Sorey’s eyes, he thought he saw the same ache he’d felt since Sorey had left that morning. He gave Sorey a small, understanding smile. “Happy birthday, Sorey.”

Sorey returned that half-hearted smile. “Happy birthday, Mikleo. Goodnight.”

“Night,” Mikleo repeated. There was another small silence, and in that moment more than any other, those unsaid words seemed deafening, and Mikleo was becoming less and less certain he was the only one who could hear them.

_You’ll have to talk to them. Make sure they know how you’re feeling. I know it’s hard, but you never know until you try, right?_

But Mikleo couldn’t bear to follow his own advice, and so the words remained unsaid, and Sorey smiled, ended the call, and left Mikleo alone in his room, fingering the blue feathers around his neck.

“Love you,” he murmured to himself, just to hear how it sounded out loud.


	13. The Truth Comes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon returning home from a nearly perfect vacation, Sorey is left struggling to figure out what's going on with any of his friends.

“I heard you and the others went to Elysia for your birthday.”

Sorey cringed. Between all the excitement of that weekend and catching up with things when he’d returned home, he hadn’t given much thought to Dezel. Sorey had been excited to catch up with him, eager to escape his own worries for a little while. He’d forgotten that Dezel always followed their activities on social media, no matter how quiet he was online.

“Yeah. It was great,” he said shortly, frustration making him gruffer than he’d intended to be.

A sound that might have been a snort or a snicker came from the other end of the line. “Well, I guess that’s me proven wrong about long-distance friendships after all.” Dezel was quiet for a minute. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“How did it go?”

“Well… It was a lot of fun,” Sorey tried again, unsure what Dezel wanted to hear from him. “I mean, definitely different than video-calling and stuff.” Sorey scratched at his ear, waiting for a reply that never came. “It was great,” he said again, trying to fill the silence.

When Dezel finally spoke up, he sounded perfectly bewildered. “What _happened?_ ”

“What makes you think anything happened?” Sorey said, his voice rising to a flustered squeak that Dezel couldn’t possibly fail to notice. “Nothing happened!” That, at least, wasn’t a lie.

Dezel snorted. “Real convincing. You haven’t shut up about Mikleo practically since I met you. You finally meet for real, and now all you’re telling me is that it was ‘great.’”

“Why do you care, anyway?”

Sorey regretted it as soon as he’d said it, the words flying out of him in a desperate attempt to defend himself from Dezel’s questioning.

Dezel let out an exasperated huff. “Never mind.” Before Sorey had a chance to pry further, Dezel directed the conversation to other matters, leaving Sorey wondering where exactly he had gone wrong.

* * *

Rose nudged him, Sergei and Alisha looked at him expectantly, and Sorey realized that he’d disengaged himself from the conversation again. “Hey, are you alright, Sorey?”

It was a question that had been asked with a surprising frequency since his return to Ladylake. Sorey flashed a smile their way. “Sorry about that. I think I’m a little distracted today.”

An excuse like that might have worked on more casual acquaintances, but did nothing to alleviate the worry on his friends’ faces. “You’ve been so quiet lately,” Alisha said, her voice full of gentle concern.

Sergei’s hand touched his shoulder, a comforting gesture. “Is something on your mind, Sorey?”

Sorey blinked at Sergei’s touch, and smile was more genuine this time. “I appreciate you guys worrying, but I’m really fine. I think It’s just been a long week.” It was hard to go back to his normal life after everything that had happened last weekend. He spent more time than he cared to think about reliving it all in his memories, unsure if he was doing it because he missed Mikleo’s presence or because he was still uselessly attempting to interpret Mikleo’s feelings.

Alisha nodded, sharing a glance with Rose and Sergei. “That’s certainly true.”

“If you ever need to talk about anything, Sorey…”

Sergei trailed off, and Sorey met his eyes, answering his unspoken question with a confident nod. Sergei smiled, bobbing his head in return before going back to his lunch.

“Alright,” Rose decided. “We’ll leave you to your Post-Mikleo Blues, then.” For half a second, Sorey wanted to protest her word choice, but then, he supposed it wasn’t entirely inaccurate. “Now then, who wants to make a trip to the vending machine for me?”

Alisha took the bills Rose held out for her, and she and Sergei left to get Rose her treats. There was no need to ask what she wanted, after three years.

“You’re all in pretty high spirits,” Sorey said after a few minutes of silent eating. “Does that mean everything got sorted out?” He hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to any of them about those panicked texts earlier in the week.

Rose shrugged, waving her hand indecisively. “I mean, nothing’s actually decided or anything. But I’m pretty sure it’s going to be fine. Turns out talking about it really helps, you know?” Rose cast Sorey a significant glance, and before he could ask her what she meant by _that_ , Alisha and Sergei had returned, snacks in tow, ready to share.

* * *

Under ordinary circumstances, when Sorey got home that night, he probably would have called Mikleo, told him about his day, listened to Mikleo’s impassioned lecture about the new exhibit at the museum where he worked: the perfect end to a tiring day.

He called Dezel again, instead. Something about their conversation a few days ago wasn’t sitting right with him, and something in him still felt too fragile to talk to Mikleo, a feeling that had persisted since their birthday.

After the usual hellos and how-are-yous, Dezel managed to surprise Sorey again. “How are Rose and the others?”

Sorey blinked, shocked. In the two years since Dezel had moved away and these calls began, he wasn’t sure Dezel had ever brought up the others so casually. “They’re fine,” Sorey said quickly. “I’m the odd one out at the moment, to be honest.”

“Now you understand how I felt back then,” Dezel said, and Sorey was relieved to hear a smile behind the words. “At least you have Mikleo, right?”

He did, didn’t he? Whatever had or hadn’t happened between them, they were still friends. So what if they hadn’t talked since their birthday? Sorey just needed some time to get his feelings back under control, that’s all. The fact that he was so preoccupied at every mention of his friend just proved it.

“Seriously, Sorey, what is it?” Sorey blinked, realizing the awkward silence he’d created. “That’s twice you’ve gotten all weird when I mentioned your obvious crush.”

“My--” Sorey began, about to deny it, but even then he knew there was no point. He was a terrible liar, and everyone knew it. In fact, he was pretty sure everyone knew about his feelings already; what else would explain the pointed looks Rose and Alisha kept giving him lately?

“Nothing happened,” Sorey finally said instead, and that was the problem, wasn’t it? “There were a few moments when I thought... maybe. But nothing happened.” His voice was quiet, contemplative. He’d had reasons for not saying anything, he knew that. But now that he was back, things were supposed to have gone back to normal, and they hadn’t. Instead, Sorey was too scared of that fragile feeling, of having misread everything after all, of letting something slip and ruining everything, to even talk to Mikleo. “He didn’t say anything, so...”

Dezel was quiet, and for a minute, the two commiserated together.

“Why the hell didn’t _you?_ ”

Sorey flinched at the accusation in his tone. Maybe it had been a bit optimistic to hope for Dezel’s sympathy, after all. “I don’t know! Lots of reasons!” And suddenly, before he knew what he was doing, it all spilled out, every worry and analysis of the past week, every doubt and insecurity, gushing out of his mouth, desperate to get out of his head, desperate for someone to understand. “It wouldn’t be fair to tell him now, and what if I’m misreading things and he never wants to talk to me again?”

“Are you kidding me?” Dezel spat, and Sorey’s pleas were stopped in their tracks. “Tell me you’re kidding me with this.”

Sorey said nothing, completely disarmed by the sudden intensity of Dezel’s frustration, let loose after being restrained for so long.

“‘Your friendship isn’t going to fall apart just because of a crush, Dezel, you just need to talk to her, Dezel.’” Dezel’s voice was pitched high, a mocking parody of words Sorey had spoken so long ago. His voice dropped, and there was real anger there. “For two full years now, it’s been nothing but ‘If you just _talked_ to them, everything would be fine, if you just _tried,’_ and now you’re telling me you’re giving up just like that?”

When Dezel spoke next, his voice was muffled, and Sorey could barely make it out. “Just when you almost had me believing it, too.”

“Dezel,” Sorey tried, feeling guilty and pathetic but trying not to sound so. Because Dezel was right, wasn’t he?

“Forget it,” Dezel chirped, and as quickly as the emotion had burst forth, it seemed Dezel had forcibly reigned it in again, sounding dull and exhausted. “It’s your life. Whatever.”

Sorey would have laughed at the blatant lie if he didn’t feel so awful. “No, Dezel… You’re… you’re right. I don’t think I fully understood, before. It’s not so easy to say what you feel… even when you know you should.” He took a breath there, and Dezel let him, giving him a moment. “I’m so--”

“Don't,” Dezel said sharply, and Sorey’s apology, just like and the sympathy he’d hoped for earlier, was cut off. “Just... enough of that," he continued, his tone only softening slightly. "I don’t actually want your groveling, Sorey. I was just saying…”

Dezel trailed off, then sighed, and Sorey could imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Look. We both screwed up, right? So instead of moping about it, let’s just fix it. Both of us.”

Sorey sat up straighter, sensing that this was important. “What do you mean?”

There was a long pause, as if Dezel was building up his resolve. “I’m going to make a deal with you,” he said finally, his voice firm. “I’ll try again with the others, okay? I’ll _really_ try, like you’ve been begging me to do forever now.” He paused, giving Sorey a second to take it in. “But the deal is, if I have to talk to them, then you have to put your money where your mouth is and actually talk to Mikleo. Understand?”

A pause, as Sorey considered this. “You’d really do that?”

Dezel groaned. “Anything to get you to shut up.” As if Dezel hadn’t been the one who insisted on prying into Sorey’s insecurities in the first place.

That familiar gruffness did earn a smile from Sorey, though. Then he frowned again, thinking of what he just agreed to. “Are you sure I can…?” He trailed off, unable to finish.

Sorey was surprised to hear Dezel’s huff of laughter. “Sorey, you managed to stay friends with _me_ after all these years. You’re going to be fine.”

It was a joke, but Dezel’s tone was sincere. It was probably the closest thing to a thank you that Sorey would get from Dezel, but Sorey found he didn’t mind that.

* * *

_Sorey added Dezel to The Posse Group Chat_

_Received:_  
_Dezel: Hey guys_  
_5:13 pm_

Sorey held his breath. One minute passed. Then two. Finally, at five minutes, his phone buzzed to life again.

_Received:_  
_Dezel: Long time no see_  
_5:18 pm_

_Received:_  
_Rose: was that a pun_  
_5:19 pm_

_Received:_  
_Dezel: yeah_  
_5:20 pm_

_Received:_  
_Alisha: How are you? It seems like you’re never online or anything!_  
_5:26 pm_

_Received:_  
_Dezel: I’m good. Wanted to check in, I guess._  
_5:26 pm_

_Received:_  
_Dezel:  Happy birthday, Sorey and Mikleo_  
_5:27 pm_

_Received:_  
_Mikleo: Thanks_  
_5:29 pm_

_Received:_  
_Dezel: how are you guys?_  
_5:34 pm_

Alisha and Sergei jumped in with stories of their adventures in student council and the stress of upcoming finals, both topics that Mikleo was quick to offer his perspective on. Sorey was relieved to see the conversation flowing, as Dezel offered input about his own finals horror stories. Still, Sorey couldn’t help but notice that Rose was uncharacteristically silent. While the others caught up, Sorey received a private message. Rose.

_Received:_  
_sorey. explain?_  
_5:38 pm_

_Sent:_  
_he asked me to put him back in_  
_5:38 pm_

_Sent:_  
_I think he's really been thinking about this_  
_5:40 pm_

_Received:_  
_for two years? took him long enough. (;¬_¬)  
5:41 pm _

_Received:_  
_sorry, i am happy. I think. I just…._  
_5:42 pm_

_Received:_  
_ugh._  
_5:42 pm_

* * *

_Received:_  
_well, its a start, anyway_  
_8:59 pm_

_Received:_  
_and it could have gone a lot worse_  
_8:59 pm_

_Sent:_  
_im proud of you, dezel :)_  
_9:02 pm_

_Received:_  
_We’ll see._  
_9:03 pm_

_Received:_  
_Your move, Sorey._  
_9:05 pm_

* * *

“So, you finally talked some sense into Dezel, I see,” Mikleo said, grinning and gesturing to his phone. At the sight of that grin, Sorey had to wonder how he’d managed to put off calling Mikleo for even this long. “I have to say, that’s pretty impressive.”

Sorey shook his head. “I don’t think I had anything to do with it, really. I think he just decided he was ready to give it another shot.” He did not mention their charged conversation, or the incentive Dezel had created with their deal. He was pretty sure Dezel had mostly come up with it as an excuse to do what he’d been wanting to do anyway.

“Maybe, but if you had given up on him, I don’t think he ever would have gotten to that point, do you?” Mikleo hesitated, then added: “It’s... kind of like what happened with me, isn’t it? I never would have been friends with Rose and Alisha and the others if it weren’t for you, you know?”

Sorey blinked, embarrassed by the sincerity of Mikleo’s unexpected declaration. “I don’t know about that.”

Mikleo rolled his eyes, his cheeks the faintest pink. “I’m trying to thank you, Sorey.”

“Oh. You’re welcome, then.”

Mikleo shook his head in fond exasperation, then started at something Sorey couldn’t hear. “Hang on, that was the timer. I’ll be right back.”

Sorey fiddled with his earrings, studying Mikleo’s room as he waited. It was just the same as when Sorey had left it, of course, neat and tidy as ever. He took it in, almost nostalgic for it. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and preparing himself for what he was about to do.

* * *

Mikleo returned a few moments later. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I’m making dinner tonight.”

“Lucky.” Sorey sighed. “I miss your cooking. I wish I could have it all the time.”

Mikleo huffed, but he was amused despite himself, and he knew Sorey could probably tell. “Cooking enough to satisfy you would be a full-time job in and of itself.”

“Mikleo!” Sorey whined, making Mikleo snicker a little. “Okay, maybe I was a little enthusiastic, but your cooking is too good!”

“‘A little enthusiastic?’” Mikleo repeated, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. “That’s how you are all the time, Sorey. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you made me trip in the museum.”

Sorey laughed, and that laugh would probably always make Mikleo’s heart flutter a little, no matter if it was through a set of speakers or the real thing, right in front of him.

The real thing was still better, though.

Mikleo smiled to himself as Sorey shook his head. “How many times am I going to have to apologize for that?”

“I don’t think you’ve even scratched the surface,” Mikleo replied with a smirk.

Sorey chuckled, then stopped, suddenly seeming hesitant. “I really liked that, you know.”

Mikleo blinked. “What, making me trip? Rude.”

Sorey smiled at that, but he knew just as well as Mikleo that that hadn’t been what he was referring to. What’s more, Sorey knew that Mikleo knew that hadn’t been what he was referring too; he’d spoken the words too quickly, was now looking too nervous.

“No,” Sorey said, and Mikleo felt himself holding his breath, because this _couldn’t_ be going where he thought it was maybe possibly going, could it? “Being... “ he hesitated, struggling for the right words. “Close to you, I guess.”

“Me too.” Mikleo twisted the ring on his finger. For a moment, it was just like before, when their fingers had brushed on Mikleo’s couch; they could still play it off as nothing. But as the silence stretched longer between them, the tension grew heavier, and any semblance of casualness that had once existed shriveled away to nothing. Mikleo swallowed. One of them had to say something, but Mikleo’s mind felt muddled, his tongue useless.

It was Sorey who finally took the plunge, stammering along in short bursts and long pauses while Mikleo listened in mute amazement: “I just… I didn’t want to say anything in case it got weird and ruined the trip, and then before I wasn’t sure-- but, I mean, I really really like you, and I have for a while, and I… I just thought I should-- I mean, you don’t have to say anything or anything, I just...”

Sorey floundered, struggling for more words, reaching out first the way he’d done since the beginning, and Mikleo couldn’t just leave him groping in the dark. “Me too,” he said shortly, like maybe if he said it fast enough it wouldn’t be so terrifying. Sorey blinked, making an inquisitive noise. “I really like you, too,” Mikleo tried again, his face hot, and he looked away, a hand covering his face.

A second passed that Mikleo supposed was Sorey processing. He immediately cursed the nervous habits that came so instinctually to him; he needed to see Sorey’s face, figure out what he was thinking, but he also thought if he did that he might lose what little posture he had left to him.

Finally, Sorey took a deep breath. “Really?”

“Of course.” Mikleo felt his hand covering his mouth, and he was still unable to make eye contact. Why did his nervous habits have to be both inconvenient _and_ obvious?

A contemplative pause. Then, Sorey’s hesitant voice: “Romantically?”

“Wha-- yes, romantically!” Mikleo blurted, unsure why he was suddenly so indignant, but at least it spurred him to turn back to Sorey’s face, flushed pinker than Mikleo had ever seen it. “That’s what we’re talking about, isn’t it!?” He crossed his arms, frowning, but his anger melted away into wistfulness as he added, “I thought about saying something when you were here, too, but…”

“Yeah,” Sorey finished, understanding. A silence grew between them again, slightly less heavy this time, now that the words on their minds had finally been released. This time, the silence was a contemplative one. Mikleo had never considered what to do on the off chance he ever made it this far telling Sorey about his feelings, much less what to do if Sorey were to return them.

Because that’s what was happening, right? It felt like a dream, and suddenly Mikleo needed to be sure. “I, ah, so you do…?”

Sorey raised his eyebrows when he was unable to complete the thought. He echoed Mikleo’s exasperated tone from a moment ago: “‘That’s what we’re talking about, isn’t it?’”

“Ha-ha.” Mikleo said with a humorless scowl, which only served to amuse Sorey further. “What I mean is…” He trailed off, trying to order his thoughts, and this time Sorey was blessedly silent. “Even if you do feel the same,” he began slowly, “That doesn’t mean we have to-- I don’t want to make you feel like you have to do the… the long-distance thing, or anything, so--”

“Mikleo.”

Mikleo opened eyes he’d been unaware that he’d closed in the first place and felt his heart melt completely at the sight of one of those warm, beautiful smiles Sorey gave out so freely, fond and loving and for _Mikleo_.

Mikleo blinked, stumbling over his next word: “What?”

“Haven’t we been doing the long-distance thing for a while, now?” Sorey asked gently.

Mikleo thought of years chatting online, writing adventures about his favorite characters with the someone who was just excited as he was about them. Sharing every story he had with his only friend in middle school through texts. Hearing Sorey’s voice for the first time, on a night he’d been desperate and lonely and Sorey had reached out to him. Late-night video calls, presents exchanged in the mail, the feathers hanging around his neck.

Mikleo felt his mouth move, almost of its own accord. “I guess we have.” He met Sorey’s eyes, vibrant as ever, even through a screen. “You really want to be my… boyfriend?” The word was strange to say out loud, doubly so to apply to himself, but Sorey nodded, those emerald eyes absolutely sparkling.

“Yeah,” he said. “I do.”

Mikleo took in the euphoric look on that loved face and finally, finally allowed his tentative smile to grow into a full one, stretching his cheeks and causing Sorey’s smile to grow impossibly wider as well. “Me too,” he said, one last time.


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luzrovrulay:  
> Hey guys. I know I haven’t been around in the past few years. I’m not coming back to this blog or anything, but I just wanted to tell you guys that after roughly six years of knowing each other online through this rp blog, @featheryshepherd and I are dating.

Sergei frowned, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. “Partner, lover, significant other…?”

Alisha hesitated. “Those all sound kind of…”

“Intense,” Rose agreed, squinting into the mirror to apply the last of her makeup.

“Maybe Google has some ideas?” Sorey suggested from his place on Rose’s bedroom floor next to the laptop that Mikleo was calling from, where he’d been scribbling notes on the latest draft Sergei had written.

“Good idea!” Rose said, reaching for her phone. She hummed, tapping at a link and scrolling through. “Heh, how do you feel about ‘bae?’” All of them laughed at the face Alisha made, and Rose scrolled down. “‘Some of these are a little… hey, what about ‘date mate?’”

“That’s kind of cute,” Mikleo offered. Alisha made a humming sound, like she wasn’t quite sold.

Rose looked up, beaming. “‘Sweetheart?’”

Alisha flushed at that, and when she spoke, her voice was pitched just slightly higher than normal. “Like, ‘This is Alisha, my sweetheart?’ That’s a little cheesy, don’t you think?”

“I don’t think so,” Sergei said.

Rose snickered. “It’d have to be pretty sickly sweet for _you_ to think it’s too much, Sergei.” Sergei grinned, conceding with a shrug, and Rose continued. “No, but I don’t think so. What do you think, though?”

Alisha pursed her lips, still a little pinker than usual. “I think it works.” A shy smile spread across her face. “Yes. I like it.”

Sergei rested his palm over her hand, gentle as always. Alisha turned her own hand over, slipping her fingers between his. “I like it, too,” he offered, and both their grins spread wider. 

“Great! Done and done!” Rose put down her phone. “Hey, want me to do your makeup, _sweetheart?_ ”

Alisha looked down, more embarrassed than ever. Her chuckle was a tinkling bell. “I’ll pass today, thanks.”

“You can do mine!”

Rose raised an eyebrow, examining Sorey, who looked up at her with his usual genuine smile. “You sure?”

“Yeah, do it!”

Sorey scrambled up to Rose’s chair, and Mikleo took advantage of the shift in conversation to clear his throat. “So, I, uh, talked to my mom today. I told her about me and Sorey.”

“How did it go?” Alisha asked, scooting closer to the laptop in the space Sorey had previously occupied.

“She was fine with it. I mean, she definitely didn’t seem that surprised.”

Sergei knelt near Alisha, picking up the draft Sorey had been marking up. “I don’t think anyone that knew either of you _would_ be surprised, Mikleo.”

Mikleo flushed. “Maybe.”

 

_Rose and the others certainly didn’t seem surprised to hear the news, when Sorey and Mikleo told them about their new relationship, but they weren’t any less ecstatic for it. The common consensus seemed to be: “Well, it’s about time!”_

_“We have something to tell you guys, too,” Alisha had added, glancing between Rose and Sergei, standing on either side of her. “I’ve decided…” She paused, biting her lip, and Rose took her hand, offering an encouraging squeeze. “Well, we’ve decided that it would be okay if I dated Sergei. And Rose. Both of them, I mean.”_

_When neither Sorey nor Mikleo responded right away, Sergei spoke up. “It’s a little unusual, but we’ve been talking about it, and it’s working so far, and, well, love is itself a little unusual, isn’t it?”_

_Alisha flushed, and Rose smirked, leaning forward so she could see past Alisha and raise her eyebrows teasingly at Sergei. “That’s a little corny, don’t you think?” Sergei grinned apologetically._

_“It’s true, though.” Sorey spoke up, surprising all of them. “I mean, the whole reason Mikleo and I even met is because we were both roleplaying as fictional characters on the internet. If that’s not unusual, I’m not sure what is.”_

_“True,” Mikleo nodded, touching the blue feathers hanging around his neck. “I’m glad you figured it out.”_

_Rose winked at the computer screen. “Right back at ya!”_

 

Mikleo smiled at the memory; only a few weeks ago, but it felt like they had always been this way. Rather than upset the dynamic of the group, the last few weeks had only stabilized things. Mikleo knew it wouldn’t last; these kinds of changes weren’t a one-and-done kind of thing. Still, whatever came their way, Mikleo felt sure they could handle it.

“Well, anyway… I also mentioned to her that you invited me up to Ladylake over the summer, and she said we can probably work it out.”

“For real!?” Sorey’s eager exclamation was punctuated by a shriek from Rose.

“Sorey! Do you _want_ me to stab your eye out!?”

“Sorry!” Sorey didn’t sound sorry at all.

Rose tutted, going back to her task. “In that case, I wonder if you’ll get to meet Dezel, too. He’s been wanting to come visit-- seriously, Sorey, if you want me to do this, stop moving!” Sorey had perked right up as soon as she mentioned Dezel.

“You’ve been talking to Dezel?”

“A bit.” Rose shrugged.

 

_Received:_  
_Hey, rose_  
_7:49 pm_

_Received:_  
_i want to talk to you_  
_7:51 pm_

_Sent:_  
_how long did it take you to reach THAT conclusion_  
_7:55 pm_

_Received:_  
_I know_  
_7:58 pm_

_Received:_  
_I’m sorry_  
_8:01 pm_

_Sent:_  
_is that all you’ve got?_  
_8:03 pm_

_Sent:_  
_come on, dezel. I’m gonna need six pages, double spaced, mla format at the very LEAST_  
_8:04 pm_

_Sent:_  
_i’m kidding, but seriously. “I’m sorry?” at least put some effort into it_  
_8:05 pm_

_Sent:_  
_or just ignore me. whatever._  
_8:15 pm_

 

“I really _was_ kidding, but the next morning, sure enough…”

Alisha laughed. “He didn’t really write you a whole essay, did he?”

“He did!” Rose exclaimed, abandoning Sorey to turn toward her and wave her arms, eyes wide with humor. “It wasn’t half-bad, either. I could tell he was serious about it, so yeah, we’ve been talking a little since then.” She turned back to Sorey, her expression turning into something more serious. “I know it’s never going to be the same as it was in middle school. We both have our own separate lives and friends now. But I’m glad we got to make up, in the end.”

Mikleo smiled. “I hope I get to meet him.”

That seemed to snap Rose out of her contemplation. “Me, too! It’s going to be great!” She backed away from Sorey. “All done!”

Sorey leaned into the mirror. “You did a good job!” Then Sorey took his spot next to Alisha, looking intently at the laptop screen. “What do you think?”

Mikleo pursed his lips. _It doesn’t look half bad,_ is what he thought, but he certainly wasn’t going to say that, especially when Alisha, Rose, and Sergei were already giggling at them. “I guess you really can put lipstick on a pig,” he said, crossing his arms. The others’ giggles turned into full laughter, but when Sorey turned that sad pout on him, Mikleo couldn’t resist adding another comment, just quiet enough that the others couldn’t hear: “Well, pigs are nice.” Sorey tilted his head as if confused, and Mikleo relented: “It’s nice.”

His face was bright red, but Sorey’s dazzling smile was more than worth it.

 

 

 

 

* * *

**Sixteen Months Later**

* * *

 

The weather on the campus of Marlind University was slightly cooler than Mikleo was used to, but it was still pleasant enough outside, so Mikleo sat tapping at his phone on one of the benches outside the coffee shop. When he’d finished, he paused, fiddling with his feathered necklace, rereading what he’d written.

Luzrovrulay:  
Hey guys. I know I haven’t been around in the past few years. I’m not coming back to this blog or anything, but I just wanted to tell you guys that after roughly six years of knowing each other online through this rp blog, @featheryshepherd and I are dating. He’s visited my family, and I visited his over the summer, and now we go to the same university. It’s going well-- we even got through our first fight. 

Mikleo smiled. He’d been so angry when Sorey had told him-- with a huge grin on his face, no less-- the schools he’d applied to: Marlind, Lastonbell, and Pendrago.

 

_“You can’t just choose something that important based on me, Sorey!”_

_“Why not? It makes total sense!”_

_“‘Why not?’ This is your future! Just because we’re dating now--”_

_“It is my future! And I want it to be with you! I decided that a long time ago, before we even started dating.”_

_“You still can’t just abandon your own goals to follow me! Don’t ask me to be responsible for that!”_

_“I’m not! I keep saying it’s my choice! Any of those schools have fantastic anthropology programs. I’ve thought about it and I’ve done my research. GIve me some credit, Mikleo! I’m not just some impulsive idiot!”_

_“You’re missing the point!”_

  

Mikleo didn’t know how long they’d spent arguing like that, but when simple disagreement began to turn into true hurt, their words slowed until both sighed and Mikleo ended the call, a mutual agreement that they both needed time to cool off before continuing the conversation. It had taken a few days-- they were both stubborn to the core-- and their friends maintained to this day that it was the worst moods they had ever seen either of them in, but after a few days to level their heads, they tried again. This time, Mikleo relented, unable to deny Sorey’s resolve, and Sorey apologized, too, for coming to his decision without talking to Mikleo first.

Despite his initial reservations, now that they were here and living only a minute away from each other, Mikleo had to admit he was glad for Sorey’s choice. As close as a click away had been, it was nothing compared to walking each other to classes, eating meals and watching movies together, falling asleep to the feeling of Sorey's fingers gently sifting through his hair. Even the silly party Sorey had dragged him to to make up for the high school dances they couldn't go to together.

Mikleo wouldn't have it any other way.

I guess I just wanted to say thank you, for whatever small part this blog had in getting us to this point. I guess this website’s not so terrible after all. 

He smiled to himself and attached a picture of the two of them: Sorey’s arms wrapped around Mikleo’s shoulders, both of them laughing as Sorey pressed a kiss to Mikleo’s cheek. Sorey’s feathered earpieces were there, as usual, and just visible was Mikleo’s matching necklace.

He heard the sound of his name and looked up to see the real Sorey approaching, a steaming paper cup in each hand. Mikleo pressed the “post” button, slipped his phone into his pocket, and stood up. He accepted the coffee from his boyfriend, linking their hands as they made their way down the sidewalk together.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that! I want to thank everyone that's stuck with me through this fic, especially those of you who have commented and supported me every step of the way-- you know who you are!
> 
> It's been a lot of fun and this AU sort of took a life of its own in my head along the way (not to mention a little self-indulgent at times)! That means there are many more stories in this universe that I could see myself coming back to: bits of Rose, Dezel, Alisha, and the others' stories that Sorey and Mikleo don't get to see, events that happen during their senior year of high school, and what happens to them in college and beyond. This is the end of Click Away, but I would be surprised if I didn't post at least a few of the scenes and little ideas that I decided to cut, in the end.
> 
> Since I haven't really been very talkative in the Author's Notes for this fic, there are a couple things I've been wanting to mention, mostly about inspirations and easter eggs.
> 
> First, the whole concept of this story was based on an AU meme prompt that I filled [here](https://talesofsymphoniac.tumblr.com/post/148649294722/modernau-where-sorey-and-mikleo-are-online), with a few changes and expansions as I wrote. Thanks, anon, for the original inspiration!
> 
> Sergei being an aspiring romance novelist is something taken directly from one of [Spirithorse's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse) Purple Prose AU headcanons. What can I say, they wrote it and now I can never unsee it.
> 
> In chapter five, Edna's: “I forgot you have baby skin” is a reference to Toph from Avatar, who also says about 'playful' punches: "That's the way I show affection." Edna is absolutely Toph's long-lost cousin or something, I stand by it.
> 
> I know a few of you caught the allusion in chapter eleven to my own Lifeguard AU fic, ["Treading Water"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7695490). What can I say, I couldn't resist.
> 
> In chapter twelve: "It was a powerfully tall cliff, with no end in sight." That scene was inspired by a very similar scene and line in chapter six of ["Performance in a Leading Role"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/225563?view_full_work=true) by Madlori. The fic itself is one of my favorites, but the airport scene in particular is one of its most memorable moments; both characters wanting to speak out and say their feelings, but both finding themselves scared to proceed. It seemed a fitting place to fit an allusion.
> 
> Thanks again for reading and commenting and supporting. It's been so fun working on it and sharing it with you all!


End file.
